Bad Case Of Loving You
by IzabellSageGubler713
Summary: He had saved her before, but now she's back and here to stay. Can Dr. Spencer Reid handle this? I own only my characters. Rated M for future chapters. Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

_(A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Criminal Minds. I DO own Embreonna Harlow...and the story line and junk like that. Let me know if it's long enough...cause the margins on this are different from what I use to type it on...enjoy!)_

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_July 13, 2011_

_Spencer,_

_I can't sleep; I again find my mind working against me as the night takes over the world. I find comfort in knowing that when this happens you're only a letter away. Though the more I think about it the farther you seem._

_I'm not sure why I haven't been able to sleep though, and I'm sure you could give me a million possibilities (of which I would listen to every one) but I'm willing to give it up to being stressed about my final tests… My conscience has been getting the best of me about it. And no, I'm still not going to tell you what the tests are for yet…you'll soon find out on your own._

_I miss you. I'm glad we've been able to keep in touch. I don't really talk to anyone who lives in my area any more. I haven't been able to look anyone in the eyes here. They try to treat me like I'm broken and don't have the ability to be fixed, when in fact I have never and will never be broken. What they don't seem to understand is that it is all in the past. Now the question that I have, if I'm able to let it go; why can't they? I can't thank you enough for coming to see me every now and again. For showing the town and myself that I'm still me and that he couldn't rip that away from me for anything._

_You better not have cut your hair…I swear…I'll find you and make sure you never have coffee ever again. Yeah, I can make it happen. Don't doubt my powers…my coffee stopping powers. I'll follow you everywhere if I have to._

_With or without your long hair, I can't wait to see you again; it may be sooner than you think…_

_-Embreonna Harlow_

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**SPENCER'S POV**

I had spent a good chunk of the day reading over Embreonna's letter, as I did every letter I had gotten from her, but this letter had something about it that made me keep reading it. I didn't even need to be looking at the paper to know what it said…I had it memorized after reading it for the first time. Reading it over on the paper itself though, made me feel like I had just gotten the letter for the first time, every time. I smiled when I read that she missed me, I couldn't help it.

"Reid." Derek Morgan called from his desk.

I jumped and quickly put the paper down on my desk, "Yeah?" I asked looking over to him.

He was looking at me with his eyebrows raised and his mouth hanging open slightly, "Are you okay?" He asked leaning on the arm rest of his chair.

I gave a confused look, "Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Well you've been staring at that paper for about an hour now. Either it's a problem you can't figure out…or something is wrong." Morgan replied leaning back in his chair.

"Oh, it's just a letter from a friend." I smiled looking down to the letter.

"Oh yeah, who is it?" He asked.

"Embreonna Harlow." I replied looking back to him, wondering what he would say to this.

He got a confused look on his face, "Embreonna Harlow…why does that name sound familiar?"

"Embreonna Harlow…we saved her…the Stop Shop killer…" I said trying to refresh his memory.

"Right, I remember now." He said slowly nodding his head.

"Yeah, I've been writing her since it happened. Sometimes I'll go and visit her. You know, keep in contact." I said not really knowing what to say.

"Keeping in contact, huh?" He said narrowing his eyes at me and rolling his chair over to me. I could sense what was about to happen.

"Y-yeah I'm just uhh…k-keeping in contact with her." I said shifting my eyes from him to the letter.

We both jumped for the letter, but I was too little too late. Morgan grabbed it with a grin, stood while walking away from me. I got up and went after him, but there was no use getting the letter back until he was done with it.

"Aww, she misses you." He smiled with a cheesy smile.

I sighed, "From what she says…" I said reaching out for the letter.

He moved it out of my reach, "You don't believe her?" He asked raising an eye brow.

"Believe who?" Emily Printess asked walking up to the counter that Morgan had led us to.

"Nobody…" I said reaching for the letter again.

Morgan held it out of my reach, "Embreonna Harlow, he's been writing and visiting her since what happened." He said quickly passing the letter to Emily.

I sighed as she read it over, "Aww." She echoed Morgan's words from before, "She misses you." She smiled.

I quickly snatched the letter from her hand, folded it, and put it in my pocket, "Yeah, I've gathered that…" I said grabbing a coffee mug from the counter.

"Is that what you don't believe?" She asked following my actions.

"Do you really blame me?" I asked raising an eyebrow while pouring coffee into our cups.

"Come one, Reid. You've _got_ to start giving yourself some credit." Morgan said leaning against the counter on the other side of me.

"Look I've come to terms with the fact long ago that I'm not…" I started not knowing how to finish that statement.

"Not what?" He asked with a grin.

"Not…well I'm not like…like you!" I quietly shouted while adding sugar to my coffee.

"And that's a bad thing?" Printess joked taking the sugar while I was still pouring, her way of telling me I had enough sugar in my cup.

"And what's so bad about being me?" Morgan asked in a mock offended tone.

"You get around." Printess replied while taking a sip of her coffee.

"I get around?" Morgan laughed slightly wide eyed at what Printess was saying.

"The last girl you were with," Printess started.

"What about her?" Morgan asked.

"What was her name?" Printess finished slightly turning her head to the side, waiting for an answer.

Morgan opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He started to shift his eyes back and forth as if he were searching his memory but was coming up short.

"My point has been proved." Printess smiled.

"With all of that aside," I started, "I was talking about Morgan's confidence. Not his lacking ability to at least remember the girl's names." I said with an eyebrow raised, smirking at the last part of my sentence.

Morgan narrowed his eyes at us, but didn't say anything; mainly because he knew we were right.

"I don't see why you don't have confidence. Do you know how hard it is to find a guy like you?" Printess asked raising an eyebrow or her own.

"A guy like me?" I asked.

"Yes a guy like you. You're sweet, smart, loyal to people…" She said taking a break to shoot a look to Morgan, who in return only grinned and shifted his eyes, "and by the sound of the letter, she likes you a lot." Printess finished.

"What made you think that?" I asked as we all made way back to our desks, which were luckily close to one another.

"Well for one, she missed you. For two, she didn't want you to cut your hair." Printess smiled.

"She didn't?" Morgan asked.

"You had it and you didn't even read the whole thing?" I laughed.

"No, I got to where she misses you and started teasing you…because I care." Morgan smiled.

"Yeah, well, she threatened to take away my coffee if I were to cut it…which I did." I replied.

"Damn, she means business to be threatening coffee." Morgan laughed.

Printess smiled, "I just wonder what she means by 'I can't wait to see you again; it may be sooner than you think…'" She said looking to me.

I raised an eyebrow and looked to my desk.

_**You're not the only one…**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, I do own Embreonna Harlow.**

**(A/N: Sorry about the shortness again, I have to get use to the margins on here.)**

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

I sighed leaning back in my chair. I was waiting to take my final test, my final test being at a shooting range. I had put my focus more on the behavior part more than I had the armed part, spending the majority of my sleepless nights studying past and somewhat current cases of serial killers and mass murders, completely forgetting that the job I was shooting for ( pun not intended…) required me to be able to control a fire arm.

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head of everything that wouldn't help me get through this…well not everything.

Somehow my mind kept lingering on Spencer. Though the thought was a good one, that made me smile every time I thought of him, I needed to be focused on this…right now. Besides, if I pass this, I'll be seeing him soon.

…_**If I pass this…**_

…_**If I pass this…**_

…_**If I pass this…**_

I have to pass this. Nothing will stop me…

"Miss Harlow…"

…Except maybe her…

I opened my eyes and looked to the doorway that leads to the back area, "we're ready for you." Erin Strauss said with a smile I knew was forced, as she put the clip board she was holding under her arm.

I weakly smiled and followed her to where my final test would take place. The reason, the only reason, I knew that the smile was fake was because the day before Erin and I had a talk.

"_I'm just hoping, Miss Harlow, that tomorrow isn't going to be a complete waste of my time. I have a busy schedule and not enough time to be wasting away…" _Erin had said just before I had left her office.

I mean I knew she could be blunt about things, but damn. Way to put the pressure completely on me the day before I handle an actual gun. Sure I've had some training for me to qualify me to take the test in the first place, but the gun I would use then didn't have nearly the same power as the one I about ready to use did; they were sure to let me know that every time I was training.

"After your test, we will meet in the back office," Erin said pointing to the door that I could only guessed led to the back office, "and we will discuss your progress and any further information then." She finished handing off the clipboard to Ben before going through the back office door.

I sighed and looked to Ben, "Yes…she's always like that." He stated through a forced laugh as he looked over the papers that were on the clipboard…what I believed to be a few papers from my "file".

I put my focus, what I had left of it, on the spot where I would be shooting. The longer I looked at it the farther it seemed to be; I swear I even saw it move back farther.

"Alright, go ahead and gear up." Ben said setting the clipboard down.

I stared at the spot for a few more moments before getting everything that I needed.

* * *

"You are aware of everything you are putting risk? Family, friends, your life." Erin asked folding her hands on her desk.

"I am." I replied, sitting up straight with my legs crossed, my hands sitting on my knee.

"And you're willing to have that all at risk?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Ma'am, I lost everything after what happened to me. Family, friends…and my life? This quickly became my life. I didn't know that people like him existed. Imagine my surprise when I found out, and that they could be even worse than what I had gone through. So yes, I am willing to have it at risk." I said defending myself for what she apparently had the nerve to question.

Erin pressed her lips to a line as she leaned back in her chair, she put her arms on the arm rests and she began to tap her fingers with one of her hands on the end of the rest. One finger falling slowly after another as she started strumming a steady rhythm.

Erin had been at this for about an hour, so if I didn't pass the last test, which she has yet to tell me if I had or not, she was only wasting her own time and was starting to waste mine. I let out a short sigh through my nose out of frustration. I had to contain all of this, I had to show her that I can't be broken easily, something I had learned the hard way. So far I had been able to camouflage my frustration as determination, but that ability was quickly whittling away.

We did nothing but stare at each other while she had continued to give me a questionable look. Finally, after what felt like ages, she leaned forward on her desk. She looked down to what I believed to be my test results. After I was done shooting, Ben had ushered me straight into here. I guess not knowing my test results was supposed to rattle my cage. I'll admit, it did…but I wasn't about to show it to her. Ben had personally brought in my results to Erin, as he walked back past me to exit the room; I looked to him for some sort of conformation on how I did, but got nothing in return.

"You passed your final test." Erin finally admitted. I let out a small sigh of relief, and leaned back in my chair. "I just hope you fully realize what you are getting into." She continued to question me.

"Yes, ma'am; I'm _fully_ aware." I said wishing that looks could kill…or at least mute a bitch.

We spent the rest of my time in her office going over when I would be leaving and who I would answer to when I got there. Well…she spent the rest of the time doing that. I spent the rest of the time throwing a party in my head.

I was anxious to get a reply from Spencer now. I was debating on finally telling him or wait and surprise the bejeezus out of him. I'll figure it out when he writes back.

"Now, go and make the world a better place." Erin said while standing up.

I followed her action as she held out her hand, I took her hand and shook it quickly wanting to get out and get home. I had a few things to take care of. I smiled at Erin before taking my leave.

"Miss Harlow," She stopped me as I got to the door.

"Yes?" I asked looking back to her.

"Congratulations." She smiled weakly.


	3. Chapter 3

_July 19__th_

_Embreonna,_

_I understand how it feels to be up all night. I right now am up at an ungodly hour. Though we have different reasons, I hope your lack of sleep didn't affect how you did on the test, but I'm sure you did just fine. I wish you would just tell me what the test was for. There are so many possibilities running through my mind about it. You're good at too many things for me to just take a guess at it. Can I at least have a hint? Pretty please?_

_I'm sorry it took me a little bit longer than usual to reply. The team and I just got back from a case and I'll admit, for a little while I didn't know what to say. When I get a letter from you, it turns my brain around. In the best of ways, I promise. I'm also sorry that I haven't been able to come see you in a while; cases have been loading up on us lately._

_Don't pay attention to anything anyone else has to say or think about you. You're right, it's in the past. The only thing that matters now is you. How you feel and think about it is the only thing that matters anymore. The town may not ever get over what happened, because it's a blemish on the society. After talking with you those few days in the hospital, I don't think you even have the ability to be broken by anything or anyone. Which I'm still surprised you asked me to stay with you instead of one of the others on my team, though I'm glad you did._

_I did something…something you're not going to like. I cut my hair. Now I know you're probably upset with me about this…but I needed to get it done and you know it. With us being the adults we are, I'm sure that we can settle this difference maturely…that way my coffee is still mine. Right?_

_I miss you too. It's inevitable for me. I can't wait to see you either…whenever that may be._

_-Spencer Reid_

I have been doing nothing but packing for the past week. I didn't even have time to reply to Spencer. So it looks like I'm going to surprise the bejeezus out of him. I had to get everything to Quantico as quickly as I could. Being that I was the only one packing up my things, it was going by slower than what I was hoping it would.

I sighed as I packed the final box in my car; the moving trucks were already loaded up and ready to follow me to the new house. I was looking for a place to move before I had started training for the job, I needed to get out of this town and get a new start somewhere. Now that I had this job, I had the perfect chance to do just that. I closed the door and faced the house. Digging the key out of my pocket I walked up to the door and put the key in the mail box the hung on the side of the door.

I got to the door of my car and took a last look around. A few neighbors were standing around looking at the trucks as if they didn't know that moving away from home was ever a possibility. I turned to my next door neighbor, she smiled weakly as if to say, "_Thanks for moving…_". I started up the car and was off to my new life.

SPENCER'S POV

I haven't heard from Embreonna in what was about to be two weeks. It was starting to worry me and was even affecting my performance at work. Everyone noticed that I was off…but only Prentiss and Morgan could possibly guess the right answer. They have thankfully kept this to themselves. Don't get me wrong. It's not out of the ordinary to keep in touch with the victims sometimes, to see how they're doing and to know that they're okay. It wasn't heard of though to go to the victim's house and visit them….or to, dare I say, fall for them.

It had started in the hospital…those few days after we had found her and were still chasing after the un-sub. She always had a smile on her face, it may not have been brightest at the time, but it was still there. For the simple fact that she had survived, she had won. I was about to leave to help the team when she had asked me to stay, there was nobody else there for her and no way in this universe that I could've said no to her…then or ever.

"We got a case; Hotch wants us all in the conference room." Morgan said pulling me from my thoughts.

"Alright…" I replied gathering the things I would need and made my way to the conference.

"I feel like I'm asking you this more than I should be…but are you okay?" Morgan said as we walked up the stairs to the office floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied trying to blink away my thoughts; which wasn't working to well.

"Really?" Morgan stopped us, suspicious of my answer, "Because your blink rate per minute just went up." He grinned crossing his arms.

I sighed, "I'm fine." I said as we continued our way to the conference room.

"You now you can come to me if you need to talk about anything right?" Morgan lowered his voice as we sat down at the table.

"Yeah, thanks." I replied. I looked around and saw that Aaron Hotchner was missing. Curiosity killed me, "Where's Hotch?" I asked taking a drink from my coffee.

"I'm not sure…" David Rossi replied narrowing his eyes in confusion looking to the window that faced the bullpen, "he's usually the first one here…" He finished looking back to the team.

"Here he comes." JJ said while handing us the files, nodding her head in the general direction of Hotch.

We all turned to look at Hotch as he made his way to the conference room, there was a woman following close behind him, and he appeared to be talking to her. I couldn't make out much of her face, only that she had brown hair that fell just below her shoulders.

Hotch entered the room, and I saw a face I was shocked to see, "There's no time for catching up right now, but I'm sure you all remember Embreonna Harlow?" Hotch said as JJ handed him a file. Embreonna took a seat next to Rossi and smiled to all of us.

It was if my brain had stopped working, my breath was caught in my throat, and my mouth got dry. My mouth was hanging open slightly and she finished her look around the team with me. Her smile got wider and she raised her eyebrows as if to say, "_Ta Da!_"

"Of course we remember her," Rossi said smiling sweetly at her., "but what are you doing here?" He asked leaning forward on the table.

"My job." She replied still smiling. Her voice…I haven't seen her in a while and had allowed myself to forget what her voice sounded like.

"You're apart of the team now?" Printess asked with a smile growing across her face.

"As of today I am." Embreonna replied turning her focus from Rossi to Printess.

"Embreonna, welcome to the team…but there's time for this later." Hotch said with a small grin playing at his lips.

Embreonna only smiled and nodded her head as a reply.

JJ smiled and pressed a button on her controller that was to the projector, "Over the past few days, these men were found in their offices dead." She started the presentation of the case.

I could focus, my mind was somewhere else…across the table to be exact.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I only own Embreonna and the Un-Sub...herp de-derp!**

**Review please. I need to know if yall like it!**

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EMBREONNA'S POV

"We lift off in twenty. Make sure you have everything taken care of." Hotch said as we all stood up. "Embreonna, I'll show you to your space." He said motioning for me to follow.

I did just that, but not before flashing another quick smile to the team, following closely behind him as he led me to my space.

"This is your space." Hotch said stopping in front of an empty desk in the bullpen, "Do you have everything you need to leave?" He asked.

"Yes, everything is in my car." I replied. Because there was no way I was going to show up on my _first _day on the job, at the _FBI_, _unprepared_.

Hotch smiled weakly, "It's good to see you again." He said before walking back to his office.

I sighed and took a look around; I remember having to come here for them to make sure they had everything taken down that happened to me in case they had to go after someone else who was like that man, to have something to compare it to, everything was the same now as it was then. I'm pretty sure even the piles of folders on people's desks were stacked in the same way.

I was overcome with a comforting feeling, one that told me I was going to be okay…the same one I had when I saw Spencer. He didn't say anything during the briefing, which had me a bit worried. Could he be mad I didn't tell him? Did he even have the ability to _get_ mad? Was he simply shocked speechless? So many questions…not enough time.

"Embreonna…"

…Even less time than I thought.

I turned and faced the voice that called for my attention. That voice, how on earth did I possibly allow myself to forget that voice?

"Spencer." I said locking my eyes with his.

Which happened to be a mistake…

I know what I said in my letter to him, about the coffee and how I would take it away from him forever, but there was nothing that could stop me from liking his hair. Without his long hair, I could see every detail of his face. The light rings under his eyes from his sleepless nights, how the brown in his eyes were darker than usual, how his lips pressed to a line as he would be thinking of something to say. Everything brought together in the most perfect way that melted my heart by a single look. In a few simple words…I got lost by him.

I somehow found my composure, smiled, and held my arms up; wordlessly asking for a hug. Spencer smiled widely stepping forward to hug me. I got lost in his embrace. It hit me like a brick wall as he held me close against him, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist; with my arms wrapped around his neck.

"I knew writing you wasn't enough…" Spencer weakly whispered while hugging me tightly.

I'm not sure if I was supposed to hear that or not, so I just smiled and hugged him a smidge tighter, just in case I was supposed to.

Fighting how much I wanted to stay in this moment and hug him for the rest of forever, I needed to go and get my things from my car to put in the jet, "Spencer I got to go to my car. I'll be right back." I said pulling away from him.

"Y-yeah, of course." He smiled. I matched his smile and headed to the parking garage.

Nothing was going to rip this smile off of my face for anything today and possibly for the rest of the year. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about him all the way to the parking garage, no matter how hard I tried to change the topic in my mind or even think of nothing, somehow my mind found its way to Spencer and a smile would creep to my face.

What am I doing? I can't focus on this now…maybe when we get back from the case, but not right now. Now I have to focus on catching the bad guy; the un-sub; the criminal…not the handsome, smart coffee addict.

Oh Dr. Spencer Reid…what are you doing to me?

SPENCER'S POV

I watched as Embreonna left the bullpen. Then, and only then, was I able to find my ability to breathe on my own.

"Woo-hoo hoo!" I heard Morgan hoot from behind me as I felt a hand come down on my shoulder; he took a deep breath in, "Spencer and Embreonna sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…" He began to quietly sing to me, but trailed off into light laughing fit.

It's not true, but I couldn't resist, "Jealous?" I asked looking to him raising an eyebrow.

Every muscle in his face dropped as he realized the situation. He narrowed his eyes at me and grinned, "Well played, Reid." He finally said before walking off to get his things ready.

I smiled as my eyes found their way back to looking at the glass doors to the bullpen. I slowly let out a sigh, trying not to think about Embreonna, as I went to follow the teams' actions and got my things ready for the case.

These first dew days with her on the team were going to be hard for me to focus. I just hope that it doesn't get the best of me. I had to keep reminding myself the getting the job done was first on the list of things to get done.

We all boarded the jet and got situated for lift off. I was sitting by Printess; Embreonna was sitting with Rossi, JJ, Morgan and Hotch in the four seats that faced each other with a laptop on the table between them so we could talk to Penelope Garcia.

"Before take off," Garcia started, "I would like to say welcome to Embreonna." Garcia smiled warmly.

"How did you even know I was here?" Embreonna laughed looking to the screen.

"Oh honey, nothing happens in the FBI that I don't know about. For you see I am the book keeper, and you are a character in my infinite supply of knowledge, the novel I call my computer system." Garcia replied causing Embreonna to smile widely.

"I loved that speech." Embreonna stated.

"What can I say it's what I do." Garcia smiled as the jet started moving.

That's when Embreonna tensed up, clutching the arm rests of her seat.

"Fear of flying?" Rossi asked with an amused grin.

Embreonna nodded her head slightly.

"A fear of flying usually comes from the lack of control one has on the plane…" I said looking down to the file in my hand and back up to Embreonna. I hoped she wasn't annoyed by my random fact spewing ways. I couldn't help but to say the facts when it came up in conversation.

Embreonna looked to me with a smile, "It's not the control I have a problem with…it's the falling from the sky if the engine fails…" She forced a nervous laugh.

I was glad she didn't give me the "please stop/ not now/ nobody cares" look that I normally get from people, or interrupt with some sarcastic remark.

Once we were up in the air, Embreonna relaxed and we started to discuss the case.

"This un-sub didn't take anything from the offices or from the building in general. The only thing the un-sub did outside of the murders was erasing the security tapes of that day and put them back." Hotch stated.

"Meaning the un-sub went there strictly to kill these men." Embreonna said looking at the photos that were sent with the files.

"It cold be an assassin?" Printess suggested.

"That wouldn't explain the brand though." JJ replied.

I had one of the pictures of that. I looked down to it. The brand was on the right side of the body, where the heart was. All I could see from the picture was that it was four pronged…that's all.

"Were you able to find anything on the symbol, Garcia?" I asked looking to the screen.

"Not a thing, handsome." She replied with a sorry expression.

"Are there gang problems in the areas of the victims?" Embreonna asked.

"Barley…and the gangs that are there do mostly nothing, but vandalize…nothing close to murder." I replied.

"And these men weren't connected in any way?" Morgan asked finishing up the first round of questions.

"The only connection is that they were all successful family men." Garcia said as he sound of her typing was heard faintly in the background.

Embreonna got a confused look on her face, "They all look similar…" She said quietly.

"She's right…" Rossi said looking to a few of the photos, "they all have brown hair, brown eyes and are all at least 6'2." He finished setting down a picture still looking to it.

"So if it is an assassin…the initiator has a very specific enemy type." Morgan said.

I sighed and looked down to the file I had, this alone was going to be a long day…


	5. Chapter 5

EMBREONNA'S POV

"Alright; Reid, JJ, go to the station and see what you can gather from the files they have there. Morgan and Printess; visit the families and get to know the victims and the schedules they followed. Rossi, Embreonna and I will go to the scenes." Hotch said looking to each of us as he called our names, getting a nod from each of us in return.

* * *

Hotch, Rossi, and I arrived at one of the scenes, I stood in the doorway to the office and just looked at everything. Seeing how this happened to someone was beginning to bring things back that I thought I had repressed, things I had thought I would never have to remember.

_**Damn him and what he put me through, I can't let this affect me…not now…**_

I sighed and entered the room completely; being sure to look at everything I passed. There were ropes hanging from the ceiling where the unsub had hung the victim from his arms, it was the only way to keep the victim from trying to stop him. Below the ropes was a large blood stain on the floor.

_I was crouched down in a corner of the room. It was too dark to see anything, hell, I gave up on trying to see anything days ago. This room was made for me to be basically blind. I've been sitting with my arms around my legs and my head in my knees. I'm not sure how long I'd been here for, but I wasn't about to complain about that, if I were to say anything at all it would give him enough of a reason to come down here. That's the last thing I needed. I was gently rocking myself back and forth; it was the only movement I was able to get._

_I lifted my head to the sound of the door being opened, "Get up!" He ordered grabbing me by the arm._

_I quickly stood up and he unlocked my chain, dragging me out of the room._

"He must've bled out." I heard Rossi say, snapping me away from my thoughts.

I nodded swallowing hard and looked around the victim's desk. I didn't find much that seemed out of place. Until I opened the drawer and pulled out his planer, stuck to the front of it was a post-it note that read '_**THE**_' in large black block letters. It looked like it was written in permanent marker.

"Hotch, Rossi…" I got their attention while pulling the post-it off of the planer.

They looked to me as I held it out to them, "The…" Rossi said reading it as he took it from me.

"Check to make sure it doesn't match the victims." Hotch said after he took a look at it.

I opened the planer and checked every letter, "Nope, it looks like the victim only wrote in cursive." I said flipping through the pages making sure he didn't write like that, not even once.

"Bag this and send it to the station." Hotch said handing it off to evidence.

* * *

This day had to be the longest of my life. All in one day we had searched each crime scene, got the specifics about the scenes, talked to the families, companies, and just about anybody who might have known what happened, and tomorrow Morgan and I get to go to the morgue to take a closer look at the bodies. Joy.

I sighed as I closed the door to the car, "Long day?" Rossi asked me in a hushed tone.

I smiled weakly, "Feels like it."

"So I heard you and Reid had kept in touch over the years." He said raising his eyebrows at me, as if implying something.

"Y-yeah…" Was all I could muster up to say, "I didn't get him in trouble, did I?" I asked going wide eyed.

"No. No, not even close. Only a few teasing words from Derek." He replied.

I sighed through a smile, "I bet I'm going to get it tomorrow, huh?" I asked with a light laugh.

"You might, considering we all saw that hug this morning." Rossi replied with a grin.

My mouth dropped…

It wasn't supposed to be a secret, but these people are profilers. My heart sped up just at the memory of that hug, it was the first hug in a while for me…and the team could sense it…because they're like animals when it comes to behavior.

"Uhh…" Was all that would come out of my mouth; my brain went numb, I couldn't think of anything to say.

"None of us have a problem with it, but Hotch might. There's this little rule about co-workers dating…so you might want to be expecting a talk from him if he thinks it's getting to serious between you two." He said as the car pulled out of the parking lot.

"Profilers…" I grumbled with a smile while looking out the window, only to receive a chuckle from Rossi.

What could he possibly mean by '_getting to serious_'? This is the first time I've seen him in months, of course I would hug him. Then again they could argue that it's the first time I've seen the rest of the team in years…so where's their hug? And it's not like it is any level of serious in the first place. We're just…just…

Just what?

SPENCER'S POV

It was driving me crazy that I haven't seen her all day. Now that I have the option to see her pretty much every day, I was going to be sure to use it to its fullest.

Although I had Embreonna on my mind, this case was keeping me up. At each scene Hotch, Rossi, and Embreonna found post-it notes that when put together made a phrase, 'Keeping the Faith…' I didn't want to believe that the unsub was doing this for God. There had to be something else that made this fit for me.

I kept going over the files, everything we had on the unsub so far.

He would brand his victims…

The victims all looked alike…

One the second victim he started to cut open all the major arteries on their bodies…

He's right handed, the only reason I knew that was because of the lack of smudge marks on the paper and the amount of pressure that was needed for the marker to bleed out on the paper where it did.

All of this…because he thinks God told him to?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I only own the unsub and Embreonna...and the victims.**

**Review please? Let me know what you think!**

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EMBREONNA'S POV

I wasn't too excited about what Morgan and I had to do today. I've never really…seen a dead body before…and now I am forced to face four. Yes, I know! It's something I'll have to get use to in order for me to do my job, but I'm still human even if the people we hunt down aren't, I still like to believe I won't lose every fiber of my being seeing what I could possibly see being a profiler.

"Someone's nervous." Morgan laughed while looking to me for a second and looking back to the road.

"What makes you think that?" I asked lazily looking over to him.

"You've been biting your lip this entire time." Morgan replied.

I stopped in mid bite. I didn't even realize I had been doing it. I guess that's why it's called a nervous habit though. Your nerves cause you to do it, not your brain. I forced a cough and sat up straight in my seat, shifting myself to try and make myself look more relaxed than how I felt, which I could tell wasn't working by the way Morgan was grinning.

"Relax," He chuckled, "They're not going to jump up and bite you."

"That doesn't make this any easier." I replied through a sigh.

Morgan sighed, as if to agree with me without having to say anything else.

We pulled into the parking lot of the morgue; Morgan parked the car and took the key out of the ignition, "Are you ready for this?" He asked looking to me.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I replied as we got out of the car.

Morgan locked the car and we made our way inside. The walk inside seemed longer than the car ride over here. It felt as though I was the one who had done this to them, and I was being forced to look at the carnage I had created stripping away the last of my humanity.

We got to the main office and met who I believed to be the coroner. We showed him our credentials and he led us back to where the bodies were, my breath became short and I felt like I was going to pass out. I managed to successfully keep it to myself though. I need to be able to look like I can do this job…even if sometimes I can't. We got to the bodies, there were four of them, all on separate tables lined up horizontally, and covered with sheets.

The coroner, whose name I didn't catch due to panicking, slowly started to pull the sheet down the first victim's body. My breath was caught in my throat as my eyes locked with the victim's. Embreonna Anatomy Fun Fact of the Day: It only takes five minutes for your eyes to lose their color after you die.

_**This is what could've happened to me…**_

I suddenly became very interested in the floor. Cement…nice.

I was brought back to the job by Morgan clearing his throat. I looked up to him and raised my eyebrows slightly, "Yeah?" I asked.

He pulled me aside, our backs to the coroner, "Are you okay?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Peachy..." I lied smiling weakly.

He took the bait…for now. We got back over to the coroner and I was able to handle looking at the bodies, it's not like I could avoid looking at them.

"This guy," the coroner said pointing to the first victim with a pencil that he had tucked behind his ear, "died of asphyxiation."

"Wasn't he found hanging in his office?" I asked confused.

"Like the rest of 'em." The coroner replied.

"So the unsub took the time to find a way to suffocate him." I said looking down to the body. When I realized I could faintly see to lines going across the throat of the man, "He used…a belt." I said bent over getting a closer look to make sure I was right.

"The unsub realized leaving him hanging there wasn't an option and he was taking too long to die." Morgan stated.

"The second one," the coroner started turning around to face the second one, "died of, as you can guess, blood loss." He finished while pulling down the sheet.

"He's learning. So he's not completely stuck in his own little world." Morgan said crossing his arms over his chest.

"He is when he's doing this…" I stated trailing off.

"How do you know it's a he?" The coroner asked.

"A member of our team, Dr. Reid, determined this by looking over the notes the unsub had left at the scene. There were deep marks were the marker had bled out; males tend to have a heavier hand than females do. And females have more of a curve to their letters when they write." Morgan explained.

"What about the brands?" I asked.

The coroner nodded and walked over to the third guy and pulled down his sheet, they had laid him on his stomach. The brand wasn't easy to miss. It was about six inches long and right in the center of the man's neck. Up close and in person it was clear that the brand was a cross.

"It's on each and every one of 'em." The coroner stated.

"The same place on all of them?" Morgan asked.

"Yes."

"The only reason I can think of anybody branding anything…would be a farmer branding cattle…to prove it's theirs." I stated confused.

"If there's another meaning for it, we'll figure it out." Morgan said.

* * *

Morgan and I arrived back at the station. I for one couldn't have gotten there fast enough.

The feeling of what almost was my future was lingering with me ever since we left the morgue. It only made me even more grateful to be right here, right now. It also made me; I'm not going to lie, a little depressed. Just seeing what could've happened to me if the team didn't find me when they did, it hurt… a lot.

The team was sitting around the area the station had given us to use. I was trying to get the images of the bodies out of my head; I was staring down at the table, looking at a few of the forms that were handed to me, but not really paying any attention to what they were.

A cup was set tight into my eye sight; I followed the arm to the owner. Spencer. I smiled instantly.

"Thanks." I said taking the cup and leaning back in the chair.

He smiled taking the seat next to me, "Can't stop seeing them?" He asked.

"No I can't, but it's deeper than that." I replied barley above a whisper before taking a drink of what looked to be coffee.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Spencer asked following my actions and taking a drink of his coffee.

"Later." I said while looking up to the board.

"The fact that they look alike has to mean something to the unsub." Printess said looking up at the board.

"Male unsubs usually target females, as a substitute for their mother." Rossi said as we all stopped what we were focusing on to regroup.

I didn't want to talk about targets, for the simple fact that I was once a target. I tapped Spencer on the arm and pointer to the planner from the first crime scene; he passed it and went back into the conversation.

I opened the planer and started to look through it and I mean actually go through it. Not 'checking for hand writing' going through it. About half way though I got confused, "How long did it take anybody to find…Eric Copeland?" I said checking to make sure I had the name right.

"Well, the tape for that Friday was missing and the business is closed on the weekends; so it had to of taken at least three days for someone to find him." Morgan replied looking up from the paper he had read it off of.

"And what date was that?" I asked.

"July 28th is when he was found." Spencer answered.

"He was supposed to be on vacation with his family then." I said sliding the planner in front of Spencer. He leaned forward on the table to take a look at it, "Did the other tar-…men have planers or anything?" I asked.

"They're in one of the boxes in the other room. I'll get them." JJ said while getting up.

"I don't want to believe that it was simply coincidence that we was murdered when was suppose to be on vacation. How many of the workers would've known he would've been on vacation?" I asked.

"You think it was one of his employees?" Rossi asked.

"No, but only someone close to him would know his schedule. Granit, there are more people in his life than who he works with… " I started while picking up my coffee.

"But it's a start." Hotch said as JJ carried in two boxes and set them on the table.

It turned out, it wasn't just coincidence. All of the men were suppose to be on a family vacation. Spencer was left in charge of sorting out all of the planners by family affairs, appointments, meetings…so on and so on. Hotch, Rossi, Printess, and Morgan were out talking with the families again. JJ was doing her best to try and keep the press at bay.

I went back to tackling the matter of why it mattered what the victim looked like, "They don't only look alike…they're all family men too." I said more to myself than anybody really.

"So it matters if they're a father." Spencer said.

I pulled my phone out and dialed Garcia's number, "You got Penelope." She answered.

"Hey it's Embreonna, I need to know how many men in this area have brown hair, brown eyes and are about 6'2…" I said.

As expected I heard a small laugh, "A good majority of them." She replied.

"Narrow it down to family men." I added.

"Still in the hundreds, hon." She said.

"Narrow it again to big business men."

"Less than fifty."

"Alright, thanks Garcia." I smiled as if she were right in front of me.

"Until we meet again." She said as the line went dead.

"There are just about fifty other men in this area at risk." I said putting my phone back in my pocket.

"Hey guys, Hotch said to go a head and go back to the hotel. Get some rest and start fresh tomorrow morning." JJ said poking her head into the room.

I looked out the window. It had gotten to be night time so fast, I wasn't even aware about how much time had gone by.

"Thanks, JJ." Spencer replied.

"Need any help with them?" I asked with a smile as I nodded my head in the general direction of the general public that had slowly started to mob out front.

"Nah, I got it covered. You guys go get some rest." She smiled before walking away.


	7. Chapter 7

It's my birthday yall! Review please?

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Spencer and I had gotten to the car, in our seats, seatbelts buckled…when it happened, my stomach growled the loudest I've ever heard it growl before. I looked down at my stomach for a moment before laughing.

"That sounded like your stomach just devoured your liver." Spencer laughed.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten since breakfast." I laughed laying my head back against the head rest of the seat.

"…W-would you like to go to dinner before going back to the hotel?" Spencer asked slowly looking over to me.

I looked to him, eyebrows raised. The only light that was shining for me to see him was a street light we were parked under. His lips were pressed to a line, nervously waiting for my reply. I've never seen him this nervous before, we've been out to eat before. He's seen how I eat like a trucker. I've seen how he cuts everything down to size, he said it was something his mom always made sure he did when he was younger, a habit he was never able to break. Bottom line, we've seen each other eat…so why is it taking me so long to reply?

"Yeah, that would be amazing." I replied.

He smiled widely and started the car.

**SPENCER'S POV**

The only place that was open this late in town was a diner down the road from the station. I was a little bit nervous to be eating with her since we haven't actually spent time together in a while, but we had to start again somewhere.

The waitress had already taken our orders and we were sitting in silence. It was starting to get unsettling for me.

"Do you want to talk about earlier?" I asked.

She sighed letting her gaze fall to the table between us, "It's just…when Morgan and I were looking at the bodies it just took me back. And he is something I don't want to live with." She said trialing off.

"Because you know how the victims felt before they died." I stated.

She looked up to me, biting her lip she slowly nodded.

"And how I almost became…exactly…like them." She said quietly as the waitress brought our food to the table.

I bit the inside of my lip. I wanted to tell her that it gets easier. I wanted to tell her what Gideon had told me. I wanted to let her know I was here for her. In order to do that, I would have to tell her about Tibias Hankel and would feel the need to tell her about…I don't even want to think about it; let alone talk about it.

"Are you okay?" She asked taking a bite of her food and breaking me away from my thoughts.

I forced a cough, "Yeah, I was just thinking that I know how you feel." I said while shifting my eyes up to her and back to the table again as I began to eat.

Embreonna stopped in mid chew and stared at me, "I can't even describe how sad that makes me." She stated.

"I was taken hostage by a name who lived as three different people; himself, his father, and a murderer. I was close to being his next victim, to the point he had me digging my own grave, but the team showed up and it distracted him long enough for me to shoot him." I explained. I couldn't bring myself to tell her the rest. I don't know what she would think and I don't want to risk it.

"How…did you get over it?" She asked staring at the food on her plate.

"I didn't, not really…I just talked to someone that I looked up to. Jason Gideon." I replied as we continued to eat.

"THE Jason Gideon? What'd he say?" She asked with an eyebrow raised in interest.

"He said to use it. Use it to make me a better profiler." I said with a weak smile.

"That's all I can do, isn't it?" She asked.

"If you want to keep doing this for a living, then yes." I replied.

Embreonna forced out a small laugh and we continued eating. We had managed to bring up small topics that led into bigger ones. We had finally finished our food and the night had caught up with us, yawning we made our way back to the car.

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

The ride back to the hotel was a short one, being tired and in a car made everything go by a little quicker than what it actually was for me.

We pulled into the hotel parking lot and did the whole routine of killing the engine, getting out, and locking the car. But on the walk back to the hotel, something stopped me in my tracks.

There was a man with his hood up, leaning against the wall a few feet away. Now before 'it' happened to me, this lone stranger wouldn't have meant anything to me. But now, lone stranger only meant everything to me.

Spencer looked to his side and saw that I wasn't beside him. He turned around looking at me confused, "What's wrong?" He asked walking up to me.

I nodded my head in the general direction of the lone stranger; Spencer looked over his shoulder and back to me. "Not everyone is an unsub." He tried to calm me down.

"You don't know that." I said quietly.

The only thing that would calm me down was, I'm not going to lie, Spencer…with one of those hugs he gave me when I arrived on the first day. I did the closest thing to it. I reached out for Spencer's hand. He didn't pull away, but he turned as I slowly started to walk to the hotel again.

Slowly we walked, hand-in-hand, not saying anything. I couldn't think of anything to say really. I was focused on trying not to look freaked and making sure my brain wasn't going numb due to hand contact with Spencer. We got past the lone stranger without any harm brought upon us. Looks like Spencer was right, not everyone is an unsub.

"This is my room." I said as we stopped outside my door.

"G-goodnight, I-I'll see you in the morning." Spencer said as he quickly let go of my hand.

"Goodnight." I echoed while hugging him tightly.

He hugged back soon walking off to his own room. I sighed and entered my room locking the door behind me.

_What did I just do?_


	8. Chapter 8

**SPENCER'S POV**

I closed my door, locking the deadbolt behind me. My thoughts were racing and I couldn't process all of them quick enough. I had to break everything down to simple sentences.

_**Embreonna held my hand…**_

_**What does that mean…?**_

_**She was nervous about the man in the hood…**_

_**She didn't have to hold my hand though…**_

I pulled my bag over my head and put it down on the bed. I sighed while rubbing my face in the palm of my hands trying to rid my eyes of the heavy feeling that was trying to take over. The same feeling that I had got every night, but I couldn't do anything about it. My brain knew too well that I wasn't anywhere near tired.

I took off my shoes and climbed onto the bed. I pulled my bag over to me and got out the files that the police and JJ had given us. I needed something to get my mind off of the hand holding situation it was freaking out about.

This unsub had a random cooling off period. The second murder was the day after the first, and the third was five days after that. If it wasn't for the signatures I don't think people would've been able to make the connection that it was the same unsub. If he didn't have an official cool off period…why wait so long to kill the third victim?

_**She laced our fingers together…**_

_**What does that mean…?**_

_**If the man in the hood would've been an unsub and had tried to get her, she could grip onto me better making it harder for him to get her…**_

_**Are you willing to let yourself leave it at that…?**_

I blinked hard a few times still trying to shake the thoughts and took a deep breath in letting it out slowly through a sigh.

The cross and the notes he had left behind made us think he was doing this for God, but if he was doing this for God…then God has a specific type to feel if wrath. All of the victims looked alike, were business men, and had a family. Whether it's a delusion of God or not the main reason for victims to all look alike is because they are a substitute until the unsub builds up to the actual target.

_**She took a while to say yes to get something to eat with me…**_

_**What does that mean…?**_

_**She doesn't feel the same as I do and doesn't want to come off in a wrong way…**_

_**Are you sure…?**_

I sighed as I started to bite at the inside of my cheek.

Chances are that the childhood of this unsub were like the rest, an in his own way a tortured one. He was probably doing to the victims what was done to him in his childhood. He probably had a sensitive side to him for women due to his mother who might have tried to save him from his father…

_**Father…**_

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

_The car came to a sudden stop causing my head to slam into the side of the car. I cried out in pain but it was muffled by the duct tape that covered my mouth._

"_Come on girl…"A voice called._

_He pulled me out from the back of his bronco throwing me over his shoulder. I screamed, though no one could hear me, and tried to kick my way out of his grasp. Nothing I was doing was working though; I couldn't get away from whatever hell I was about to endure._

"_You know, things would go a lot smoother if you would just STOP FUSSING!" He growled throwing me down to the ground._

_I took that as a hint to cooperate or things were going to get worse than they already were. He cut the ties around my hands and feet and slapped a cuff around my ankle that was connected to a thick chain and cemented into the floor._

_He walked over to the door and smirked at me, "I'll be back in a little bit." He mused before walking out of the room._

_I backed against the wall and wrapped my arms around my legs. I rested my head on my knees and just let it all out. It's not going to get any better from here…_

My eyes shot open. I was sitting straight up in my bed and couldn't seem to catch my breath. I swallowed hard while taking a look around the room.

Dreams like that have been haunting me since it happened. No they weren't happening every night, but when they did happen I couldn't shake the feeling that it was still happening. Even though I knew that it wasn't.

I ran a hand through my hair and pushed the covers off of me. That dream had caused my heart to race making the once cozy warm of my blanket to turn into a flaming inferno trapping me to the bed.

I looked over to the clock on the night stand, 2:00 in the morning and I don't know if I'll be getting back to sleep anytime soon. One thing is for sure though, I needed to get this dream out of my head otherwise any chance I did have of falling back asleep flew right out the window.

My breath had finally caught up with me as I laid back down pulling apart the covers, covering with only the bottom thinner one. I could only sleep with a cover over me. I slowly sighed as I wrapped the cover tightly around me while turning to lie on my side.

I had just closed my eyes when I heard a knock at my door. Sitting up I turned the light on and stared at the door. After a few minutes whoever was at the door knocked again. I got out of bed and walked to the door as quietly as I could.

I looked out the peep hole, Spencer.

A confused look took over my face as I opened the door, "Spencer?" I asked my voice cracking from just waking up.

"H-hey, is everything okay? I heard screaming." He asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Uh yeah, it was just a nightmare. I'll be fine. Do you…do you want to come in?" I asked stepping aside slightly.

"Y-yeah." Spencer replied biting his lip before walking in.

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**Review please! Tell what there should be more of, what there should be less of. What you like...what you hate. It's much needed. ^^**


	9. Chapter 9

I woke up the next morning to my phone ringing. I opened my eyes and reached out for it, "Hello?" My voice rasped as I tried to blink away the morning sun that was coming through the window.

"Hey, it's Hotch. I need you and Reid to go to the companies to pick up the appointment books. As soon as we get a hold of him that is…" Hotch's voice sounded from the other end of the line.

I smiled raising an eyebrow, "Uh," I started and looked beside me in the bed, "I'll get a hold of him. I think I know where he is."

"Alright. When you get the books bring them back to the station." Hotch replied.

"We're on it." I replied before hanging up.

I yawned and tossed my phone to the end of the bed, "Spencer." I said loudly trying to wake him.

We must have the night before we had fallen asleep doing nothing but talking most of the night. I was kind of embarrassed that I Hotch had to wake me up. I was usually already up and going.

"Spencer." I said a little louder than before.

I sighed heavily when he didn't move. I grabbed a pillow, got out of bed, and walked around the other side.

"Spencer!" I repeated myself one last time giving him a final chance to wake up before meeting his doom, "I didn't want to have to so this…" I mumbled lifting the pillow above my head.

**SPENCER'S POV**

I had been awake, I heard her calling my name to get me awake, I had been awake since her conversation on the phone, and I have an IQ 180. So I'm smart enough to figure what she was planning on doing.

"What do you think you're going to do with that?" I asked opening my eyes and looking to her.

Embreonna stood there, completely busted. With a pillow over her head, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, "Uh, nothing." She replied with just about the most suspicious thing anybody could say as she lowered the pillow, "I was just…fluffing it…for you." She finished as she started to fluff the pillow, slowly shifting her eyes back and forth.

"So you weren't going to hit me with that pillow?" I asked raising an eyebrow as I sat up.

"All fluffed!" She exclaimed with a smile as the pillow made contact with my face.

I flew back to the pillow I had been sleeping on as a smile slowly found its way to my lips. I could hear Embreonna bursting out with laughter as she fell to the floor, clutching at her sides.

"I knew you were going to do that…and I STILL didn't see that coming." I lightly laughed as I sat back up.

"Well, go back to your room and change your clothes. Hotch wants us to go back to the offices of the victims to get their appointment books." Embreonna said as she got off of the floor as she tried to regain her composure.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the car." I said while getting up to go to my room.

"Hey, Spencer!" Embreonna caught my attention as I got to the door.

"Yeah?" I turned to face her.

"Was that pillow fluffed enough?" She asked as another smile broke out across her face.

All I could bring myself to do was smile and shake my head as I walked out of her room and back to mine. It didn't take me long to change and I was at the car in no time. This gave me some time alone with my thoughts.

There weren't going to be anymore awkward moments between Embreonna and I. Though I didn't mean to, staying and talking with her in her room all night we got to put the case aside and focus on us.

_**Us? What us?**_

"Alright, let's catch us a killer." Embreonna said walking out to the parking lot.

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

We had picked up all of the appointment books and were on our way back to the station.

"So why did we need to pick up the appointment books?" I asked confused as I set them in the back seat.

"Well, last night before I came to your room I was working on the case. And I noticed two things, the cooling off period and the unsub is using men for a substitute for his father." Spencer replied.

"What's that have to do with the appointment books?" I asked still a little confused.

"The unsub erased the security tapes for that day, the appointment books are our only way of knowing who was in his office that day."

"I'm still not making the connection between that and the two things you noticed." I laughed lightly.

He laughed, "I'll explain better once we all regroup today." Spencer replied as he parked the car in the parking lot of the station.

* * *

"The unsub has a random cooling off period. What if…it's because he makes appointments to meet with the victims before he kills them?" Spencer suggested in the form of a question.

Now…it made sense.

"That way he can get a look at the personal planners when they aren't looking…" I said to mainly myself after the realization came to me.

"And who I'm guessing also look like his father." Spencer finished my sentence.

"So the unsub was most likely abused as a child." Printess said as well all jumped aboard the Spencer wagon.

Morgan pulled out his phone. He put it on speaker while he called, who I believed to be, Garcia.

"Talk to me." Her voice sounded from the other end line.

"Garcia, pull up a list of names of fathers in this area who went to jail or prison for child abuse about twenty-five to thirty years ago." Morgan said.

"Got it." Garcia replied.

"Now narrow that down to people who look like our victims." Spencer called out.

"There is exactly one person who matches. Randal Collaway, went away for not only beating but branding his son…" Garcia said trailing off.

"Do we have a name for the son?" Hotch asked.

"Allan Collaway, and I just sent his address to your phone." Garcia replied.

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**Review please! I never know what you guys like of not if you don't. Annnnd when I know you guys like the story it makes me work on the story and update faster...cause sometimes I fall of the face of the earth...**


	10. Chapter 10

We had all gotten to the house and had spilt up to cover all of the exits. My heart was pounding as I followed Rossi to the back of the house, gun up. The only thing that could be heard was sticks snapping under the weight of our feet. We rounded the final corner to the back of the house and soon found ourselves on either side of the back door.

Rossi looked over to me to confirm that I was ready for what was about to happen. My reply was nothing more than a nod, simple but focused. Seconds later Rossi busted the door in, "FBI!" Rossi had warned whoever had the misfortune of being in the house. I followed after Rossi as he went inside. Rossi went down to the basement and I followed the actions of the team; that had just burst through the front door, as we all covered different areas of the house.

"Clear!" I shouted after I had burst into what looked like the master bedroom. I stepped inside and put my gun back in its holster.

On the dresser was what looked like a…shrine? There were three black candles in a row going across the dresser and the wall the dresser was against had a small portion of it covered in a collage of pictures of…his mother. It was clear that he took after her side of the family.

His mother dying was his stressor. I looked closer to one of the photos; hanging around her neck was a rosary. He makes sense to me know.

As I looked around the room the rest of the team had declared that every room in the house was empty. We were the only ones in the house.

We all met in the living room, "There is no car in the garage." Printess stated.

"We can only assume that he has an appointment with someone today." Hotch said, "Search the house for any type of clue to where that is." He finished as we all started looking throughout the house.

It killed me a little inside, how normal this house looked. If you didn't know all the information we did about this guy it would almost feel like you could trust this guy to watch your kids.

"Reid!" Printess shouted from somewhere in the house.

We all gathered in the guest bedroom of the house. Printess was kneeling at the knight stand beside the bed, the drawer was open and she was looking at what looked like business cards.

"Yeah?" Spencer asked.

"What are the businesses he already hit?" She asked looking up to him.

"Two Law firms, a trade market, and a local TV station…" He replied.

Printess picked a card from the group of cards and held it out, "That's where he's going next." She stated as Hotch took the card.

"Let's move!" He said as we all raced to the cars and over to where we were sure the unsub was.

"His mother died recently, that was his stressor. There was a shrine in his room to her. She was religious; I have no doubt in my mind that when he was young she would tell him to _keep the faith_ when his father would get violent." I stated as we raced down the road.

It took no time at all for us to get to our destination. What were minutes flew by like seconds as we were all standing in an office, guns drawn, all aiming on Allan; who had a knife pressed to the throat of an everyday man trying to make a living for his family. Allan's eyes were locked on our guns, the slightest twitch and a family would lose their father.

"Allen, put the knife down." Hotch had spoken up.

"I-I can't. I have to keep my faith." Allen replied; his lip curled as he spoke.

"How? By taking a man away from his family?" I had spoken up.

"Do you know what happens if I don't; if I let him go home to his family?" Allan asked turning his attention to Mark Porter.

"What do you think happens?" I asked.

"Oh, I know what happens. One day, one day soon, Daddy here realizes this isn't the life he wanted and takes it upon himself to take his anger and frustration out on the reason." Allan said pointing the tip of the blade up to Mark's throat, making Mark hold his head up.

"Allan, just because he looks like your father doesn't mean he is your father. This is a completely different man." Hotch implied.

"They're all the same on the inside, waiting for their moment." Allan said looking back to us.

"The same way you waited for your moment to kill all those men? Face it Allan, you are your father's son. In fact, if anything you're worse than him." I stated as pure anger took over him and he locked his eyes on me.

This was the only way for us to go; being reasonable wasn't going to work with this man. Maybe it would have if we caught him earlier. If he wasn't lost in his own little world before…he sure as hell was now.

"She's right Allan," Rossi spoke up, "your father never killed anybody. You've managed to kill four men. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't seem very Christian to me."

"It doesn't matter how _Christian_ this seems to you. He will forgive anything I do if I ask him, she said he would." Allan said basically talking through his teeth.

"She? As in your mother? Do you really think she meant this?" I asked.

Allan's gaze fell to the floor. I took this as his confidence in himself getting weaker. I saw it as an opportunity and continued.

"All of this isn't going to bring her back. And even if it could, do you really think she would want you to be doing this?" I continued. One thing I didn't want to be doing was talking about the man's dead mother. But if that's what it's going to take, then so be it.

The other members of the team were nervously looking to me and back to Allan. As if they were trying to silently get me to stop, but I just couldn't seem to keep my mouth shut and we were all waiting for Allan to make a move.

Allan's gaze went from the floor up to me. A puzzled look had taken over, as if he were trying to think something over. A grin slowly took over his face as he took the knife away from Mark's throat. It happened within seconds, the knife was flying towards me and before I knew it I was on the floor holding where the knife had gotten me as a gun had shot off.

Spencer and Printess had rushed over to me as Morgan had gotten ahold of Allan, who had fallen to the floor after being shot in the shoulder, and Hotch and Rossi had helped Mark down.

"You can only pray that God will have mercy on you." Morgan seethed as he cuffed Allan and forced him out of the office.

* * *

**I'm sorry for two things. 1) That this took so long to get out. 2) That it's all about the unsub...I just had to put an end to that guy. He was making me mad. By the way, how was he for an orginal unsub? Review please!**


	11. Chapter 11

I was sitting in the back of one the ambulances that had been called out. Allan was only shot in the shoulder; it's funny because the knife caught my shoulder, barely though. All I needed were a few stitches and I would be good to go.

"It's kind of poetic if you think about it." I laughed looking over to Spencer.

"What is?" Spencer asked as he held the gauze down to my arm so the medic could wrap it.

"That Allan got shot in the shoulder and I took a knife to the shoulder. My first unsub and now we both have something that will connect us for life." I smiled at the thought.

"True. Don't try to keep that thought in your head though." Spencer laughed.

I flinched as the pressed the gauze down to make sure the bleeding had stopped until I got to the hospital. "I know. I won't. I can't wait to get home." I replied as they finished gauzing me up.

I hopped off the back of the ambulance and started to make way for one of the SUVs, "Ma'am…" The medic caught my attention.

"Yeah?" I asked turning back around.

"You have to ride to the hospital in the ambulance." He replied packing up the gauze tape.

"It's only my shoulder. I can make it to the hospital on my own. Use the ambulance for someone else who needs it." I said.

"Ma'am, it is regulation." (I have no clue if it is or not…but it would be great if ya'll went with it. :] )

"You better go. Do you need me to go with you?" Spencer asked as I made my way back to the ambulance.

"Nah, I'll be fine. But could you get my bag from my room and put it in the car?" I asked handing him my room key.

"Sure! Is everything in your bag?" He asked taking the key.

"Sure is." I smiled while climbing back into the ambulance.

"See you in a bit." Spencer smiled.

I smiled and waved as the doors closed and we drove off.

**SPENCER'S POV**

I had just gotten Embreonna's bag to the car setting it in the back seat and was getting the passenger seat myself. I closed the door, putting my bag at my feet and buckled my seat belt. Morgan was driving; and usually right after I got into the car and got everything settled he started the car and we would be on our way. Something was wrong, because none of that was happening.

I looked over to Morgan and he was looking at me with grin on his face, his sunglasses covering his eyes.

I shifted my eyes uncomfortably, "What?" I asked.

"Last night, when I was about to go to sleep headlights were shining through my window." Morgan said while starting the car.

"Okay? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"Hold on now, let me finish the story. When I got up to close the curtains, I saw something." Morgan replied.

"Okay, so what did you see?" I asked.

Morgan's smile got wider, "Oh nothing, just you and Embreonna. Standing outside her door… Hugging… For what seemed like a very long time… In the dark..."

I swallowed hard and shifted my eyes to look out the window.

"So spill it, what happened last night?" Morgan asked.

"Nothing happened. We went to a diner and I walked her to her room because she was a little freaked out by a guy who was standing near her door." I replied. It was better for both me and Embreonna to leave out how I stayed in her room last night, because it's nothing like how it sounds…

"So what was the hug about?" Morgan asked.

I forced a laugh, "Since when are you so intrusive?" I asked trying to dodge his question.

"I've seen how you look her. You even become a different Reid. And since I found out you have game!" He replied through a chuckle.

"I don't have game. I…It was just a hug. That's all." I stated hoping that would be the end of it.

"So you don't deny the way you look at her?"

_**How can I…?**_

"You know I'm going to find out, right?" He asked looking to me and back to the road.

"There's nothing to find out." I replied.

"You keep thinking that." He said as we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

"Annnd weee'rrre…done." The doctor said stretching his words as he stitched the last of the stitches in my shoulder.

"This sucks more than the actual cut itself." I said as he tied off the lose thread.

"It will be sore for a while." He warned me as he began to put his things away.

I sighed. I wanted Spencer to be here. Sure he asked, but he asked the wrong question. He asked if I _needed_ him here, not if I _wanted _him here. He asked the wrong question so he got the wrong answer. Well it was the right answer…but not the one I wanted. He'll be here soon anyways with my things.

"And try not to move your arm too much; don't want the stitches to split." The doctor said putting my arm in a sling.

"Hey, Embreonna..." A voice called stepping into the room.

I looked over and Morgan was standing in the door way, "Hey Morgan." I greeted as we walked fully into the room.

"How you feeling?" Morgan asked standing in front of me.

"I'm feeling like I got stabbed in the shoulder…" I tilted my head a little before looking up to him.

"Are you all done here, smartass?" He asked as we both smiled.

"Once she puts this on she will be." The doctor said handing over a sling, of which I gingerly pulled over my shoulder, wincing all the while.

"Reid is signing you out now, let's go." Morgan said helping me off of the hospital bed.

"Good, I wanna go home." I replied as we walked out to the front desk.


	12. Chapter 12

Morgan and I had walked to the front desk to find Spencer signing me out. Due to his super reading abilities he was signing right after turning pages and all of it done in a matter of seconds. He smiled as he handed the papers back to the receptionist and turned to face us.

His face instantly fell, "Are you okay?" He asked as he jogged the rest of the way, which was about ten feet, over to me and Morgan.

"Just a few stitches." I replied as I smiled.

"How many are there?" Spencer asked.

"Nine. Like I said; a few. Wanna see 'em?" I asked with a small grin as I slowly lifted the strap to my sling up.

"No! It'll only make me feel bad." Spencer replied as we began to walk out of the hospital with a slight look of horror on his face.

"Why would it make you feel bad? I was the one shooting my mouth off." I forced a laugh."

"Just knowing that you're hurt makes me feel bad." Spencer opened the door to the front seat of the car for me and helped me in making sure I didn't hit my shoulder on anything.

My heart melted slightly at that statement, "Thank you." I smiled to Spencer.

He returned the smile before closing the door. I sighed happily knowing I was going to be home shortly and laid my head back against the seat. I heard a small chuckle from beside me. I turned my head to see Morgan smiling as he closed his door.

"…What?" I asked.

"Oh nothing…" He replied as Spencer shut his door.

"You know what? I don't even care. Let's just go." I said gingerly pulling the seat belt over me.

"Reid, are you good to go back there?" Morgan asked as he started the car.

I heard the click of Spencer's seat belt, "Yeah." He replied.

"Let's roll." Morgan said as we pulled out of the parking lot.

We were all seated on the jet waiting for lift off. Spencer and I were sitting side by side in the seats that didn't have the table. (A/N: The ones that look like a lil' couch…) Everybody else, with the exception of Hotch who was going over the final file of the case making sure we got everything about Allan, was sitting around the table starting to play some game that I couldn't even remember the name of at the moment. I was too tired to even remember my name if you asked me.

SPENCER'S POV

When that knife caught her shoulder I was hoping Morgan would've slam Allan right through a wall. Hell, I was pissed enough to do it myself. I don't ever remember being so mad in my life. I've been enraged before, when people would try to justify hurting, raping, molesting, or abusing children and anyway…when my Father had tried to pretend that he never left my Mom and I the last time I saw him…but I never actually wanted to hurt anybody. Not until today.

Embreonna yawned and tried to shake herself awake after. It was a side effect from the pain medicine they had given her. If she tries to fight it, it will make her loopy out of her mind.

"If you need to lie down, I'll move." I suggested as I began to get up.

"No. Stay. If I do end up falling asleep on here I'll probably roll off and hurt my arm even more." She said pulling me back down with her good arm.

I smiled as she laid her head on my shoulder. My heart began to beat so fast it felt like I had the heart of a hummingbird. Within moments she was asleep and her breathing evened out. Something inside of me wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about hoping it wasn't about those nights that had brought her into my life.

Embreonna grumbled and slightly shifted in her seat. I smiled again reaching for my bag, pulled out a book I had bought before we left, and began to read.

EMBREONNA'S POV

_One of my hands was gripping at his hair as the other was firmly placed on his waist. His lips were on my neck, his hands on my hips slowly working their way up, and our bodies molded perfectly with one another. I didn't know he had this side to him. To only make matters worse (or better, depending how you look at life…) he knew everything about everything; including the human body. He was focusing on all sensitive areas of the skin._

"_Spencer…" I whispered biting my lip as he hit the weakest spot of my neck._

_He grinned, from my verbal liking of the situation, and began to lightly bite the spot._

_I bit my lip harder. None of this was fair…to him._

"_Embreonna…_"

"_Yeah?" I asked._

"_I need you to do something for me…" Spencer said._

"_Anything…"I replied._

"Wake up."

My eyes shot open. Slowly my vision un-blurred and I saw Spencer standing in front of me. I blinked hard a few times to make sure this was the actual reality that I was living in.

"Come on. It's time to go home." He weakly smiled.

"Didn't your Mom teach you not to wake people when having good dreams?" I grumbled.

…_**What the hell did you just say?**_

He just smiled and helped me up, "Will you need someone to drive you home?" He asked.

"I think so." I replied as we stepped off of the jet.


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up the next morning still tired and slightly confused on where I was. As I woke up fully it was clear I was in my room…in my house. I had forgotten that we had solved the case and that I had been, not stabbed, but had taken a knife to the shoulder. Which now, I was regretting remembering it as my shoulder throbbed in pain.

I groaned and slowly rolled over to my stomach. The sun coming through the window was giving me my own weird version of a hangover. My eyes had felt like they were going to burst and my head was pounding. As my head hit the other pillow it made a crinkle type of noise. I groaned again and looked down to the pillow; there was a piece of paper place there.

It was a note, I smiled, from Spencer.

_Embreonna,_

_J.J. promised us the day off so don't freak out if you wake up late. Your bag is on the couch and your pain medicine is on your dresser. Take it on a full stomach, that's why you got so tired last night. Call me when you're feeling better. I'm still a little worried._

_-Spencer Reid_

_**Oh my God he's cute…**_

What I wanted more than anything in the world right now was to fall back into the warm embrace of my covers. I sighed as I realized that I couldn't. If I did then my sleeping patterns would be more messed up than what they already are. I groaned and slowly sat up in bed as I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes.

I had gotten through my morning routine with my medication being the only thing left. I grabbed the bottle off of my dresser and walked into the kitchen. I groaned as I opened a cabinet. I hadn't unpacked any of my things yet. The only things I had unpacked were clothes and bathroom items for "to go bag" purposes.

The last thing I wanted to do right now was unpack all of my things. So I did the next best thing…

SPENCER'S POV

I yawned as I poured another cup of coffee. I was able to get a few (about two) hours of sleep after I had finished writing my letter to my Mom. Writing it before I went to bed only made me have yet another dream about the whole situation; of which I do my best at trying to avoid all together. It's not easy for me to try to live with the guilt of it every day.

My cell rang, pulling me away from my thoughts, "Hello?" I answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Something told me you would be awake." The amused voice of Embreonna sounded from the other end of the line.

I smiled. Hearing her voice made my stomach feel like it was flipping in ways I knew were physically impossible, "I take it you're feeling better?" I asked spooning sugar into my coffee.

"I'm feeling much better. Thank you for making sure I made it home." Embreonna replied.

"I couldn't have just left you on the jet." I said sitting down at the kitchen table and began to stir my coffee.

"What are you doing right now?" She asked.

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now."

"Sitting at my kitchen table…drinking coffee." I replied while taking a drink.

"Are you dressed?" She asked.

I'm not sure why I did, but I looked down at myself as if I needed to make sure that I was indeed dressed, "Yes." I answered.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I was about ready to make something. Is there a reason for all of these questions?" I smiled leaning back in my seat.

"Would you like to go out for breakfast?" Embreonna asked.

I nearly choked on my coffee. I leaned forward as I coughed up the little coffee that had tried to make its way to my lungs.

"Spencer, are you okay?" Embreonna quickly asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm…I'm fine." I replied pausing as I finished coughing.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I repeated sitting back in my chair.

"So what do you say?" She asked.

"Uh, y-yeah. Should I come pick you up?" I asked with a small smile along with a slight confused look on my face.

"Yes, yes you should…I don't know where you live or where anything else in this town is for that matter." Embreonna laughed.

"Right, I'm on my way." I said while getting up, pouring the little of my coffee down the drain, and walking to my room to change my shirt.

"Great! I'll see you soon." Embreonna said right before hanging up.

I looked to my phone and my smile grew.

EMBREONNA'S POV

I was brushing my hair once again before Spencer showed up. I was doing it out of nerves. The only thing I can't figure out though is…why I'm nervous. I ate with him just two nights ago. I smiled at the thought…I don't smile when I'm nervous. This is something else.

I sighed as I brushed my hair over my shoulder. I put the brush down and walked back out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen. I put my medication in one of the pockets of my sweater jacket along with my keys and my phone in the other. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands and crossed my arms over my chest as I let out a slow sigh.

All that was left to do was wait for Spencer to show up.

A few loud knocks at the front door made me jump. I smiled and lightly laughed as I walked to the door. I looked out the peep hole and saw Dr. Smarty Pants. My smile grew and I opened the door.

"Hey!" I exclaimed as he smiled.

My heart momentarily stopped at the sight of his smile. It almost felt like I was at my old house and he had come to visit me. Only this was better, because we didn't live hundreds of miles apart anymore. He didn't have to find the time to come see me. He was right here, right now.

"Hey." He replied as I locked and closed the door behind me, "Ready to go?" He asked.

"Indeed I am, sir." I replied as we walked to his car.

"How's your arm feeling?" Spencer asked as we got into his car.

"Not bad actually…" I replied as we closed our doors and put on our seat belts.

The ride to Spencer's choice of food establishment was a quick one and we found ourselves there in no time at all. We were sitting at the table and began to make time pass by him and me catching up on what had happened in the few hours that we were apart. Though I was a sleep in that short time I was happy to listen to Spencer tell me about the letter he wrote his mom.

"So, I never got to ask you something…" Spencer broke the small silence that had been there.

"What?"

"Why did you join the BAU?" He asked back up to me from his food.

I took a drink from my tea, "Well," I started as I set my cup down, "two reasons. One is after what happened to me, I made sure that I did everything in my power to try and stop the monsters in the world…" I trailed off.

"The second?" Spencer asked with a slight look of confusion on his face.

I smiled and forced a laugh, "I-uh…needed…to see you more." I replied looking down to my plate.

**(A/N: A few things…**

**Yes, I am aware that I suck for this cliff hanger…but you ain't mad at it…right?**

**Printess, keep her or "transfer" her. The reason I ask is because it's a little hard to write for her since she's not in the show anymore. What do you guys think? Just need some opinions. :{]**

**Review!)**


	14. Chapter 14

SPENCER'S POV

I was impatiently sitting at my desk waiting for Morgan to show up. I needed to talk to him about something Embreonna had said yesterday.

My impatience got the better of me as I stood up and walked over to the coffee pot. I refilled my cup tapping my foot in a quick rhythm, which turned out to be the Fibonacci sequence. I bit my lip as I added sugar and began to stir with a skinny red straw.

"Morning, Reid." Morgan greeted as he walked behind me, his to bag slung over his shoulder.

"Morgan!" I called hurrying after him, not before grabbing my coffee though.

"Whoa," Morgan exclaimed as I nearly ran into him and averting the small splash of coffee that didn't move with my cup, "where's the fire?" He asked, his face catching a grin.

"I-I need to talk to you, it's kind of important." I said drawing in a deep breath.

Morgan nodded, set his things down, and sat on the edge of the desk, "What's up?" He asked folding his hands on his lap, giving me his full attention.

I looked around as to make sure no one was listening. Thankfully, this is the FBI; everyone has more important things to do than to listen to Morgan and I talk. I swallowed hard and looked back to Morgan, who had remained motionless while I looked around, and sighed before saying, "It's about…girls."

Morgan raised his eyebrows and was trying to fight back a smile, "Really?"

"Well, _a _girl…" I corrected myself.

Morgan stopped fighting the smile as it fell to a grin, "Embreonna?"

"Uhm, can-can we not fixate on _which_ girl?" I asked.

Morgan laughed lightly, "Alright, alright. So what is it about this girl?"

EMBREONNA'S POV

I pulled into the parking garage of work and sighed as I parked in my place. I was a little worried about facing Spencer today. The last time I saw him I told him that he was one of the reasons why I joined the FBI. Which wasn't a lie, he was, but I should have probably kept that bit of information to myself.

For the rest of the time that I had spent with him that day he didn't say much. When he would say something, it would come out all sputtery and nervous and he wouldn't make eye contact with me. I was on the fence about telling him and now that I can't take it back I know I shouldn't have told him.

I sighed as I gathered my things, locked my car and headed up to the bullpen. I stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the right floor. My heart pounded a little harder in my chest for every floor I passed. Spencer was already here, he always was at this time. The floor seemed so much higher today.

Finally it reached my floor and the doors parted. I held my breath and walked out of the elevator and to my desk. The plan was to go straight to my desk, make eye contact with no one, and try to at least look busy until we had a new case, which sadly in this world of raging psychopaths that I work in it shouldn't be long.

I set my things down at my desk and sat down with a slow sigh. I didn't have much to do at the moment so I got out a notebook and began to doodle. Though no matter how much I doodled I couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching me. I looked around, just in case, but didn't find the source of the feeling. That's the problem with a room full of people though.

Giving up on finding the source; I decided there has to be a better way to make my time pass. I got up and got some coffee to try and shake off some tiredness that still lingered in the back of my eyes. I yawned as I stirred in sugar and took a small sip. I shook of the rest of the yawn as I made way to sit with the coolest FBI tech I know.

"Garcia, Garcia; let down your long hair!" I said as I walked into her lair.

"My vision, what can I help you with?" She smiled as she turned to face me.

"Well, I felt like I was being watched. So I came here since it was probably you anyways." Garcia laughed as I sat next to her.

"If it was me, you wouldn't even have the feeling to let you know that someone is creeping on you. I could do it and get away with all of it." She stated raising an eyebrow.

I paused in mid leg crossing and looked to Garcia, "Really?" I asked.

"Really." She confirmed with a smirk.

"So how was your weekend?" I asked changing this suddenly creepy topic.

"You know; the same old…counseled a few families, shopped around for Henry, geeked out online; enough about my weekend. I heard through the grape vine that you went out with Reid. Spill." Garcia smiled crossing a leg over the other and she spun creepily in her chair to face me.

"We just…spent the day together is all..." I replied slightly shocked that she had already known that Reid and I had a day out. If there was a doubt in my mind before, there wasn't one know. Garcia had cameras all over town.

Garcia's eyes locked on mine searching for what I had just told her; the truth. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she spoke, "Alright." She said as if she had to reassure herself. Lowly she started to turn back to check her monitors.

"Although…" I caught her attention and she quickly spun back to face me.

"Yes?" She asked with a grin.

"When I was with him, I think I said something I should've kept to myself." I stated with the room feeling degrees colder from this uncomfortable conversation.

I had fallen out of being use to having conversations like this. The only person I had talked to like this in a long time was Spencer and I surely can't talk to him about this…yet. Garcia is trustworthy -she did help save my life- she also wants everyone to be happy. So I know once I share this with her, she will do everything in her power to make a happy ending out of it. That's just the Garcia way.

"What?" She asked as her face showed a twinge of sadness.

I sat there biting my bottom lip, only for a moment, before telling Garcia the conversation between Spencer and me. Her face brightened as I told her the line that played over in my head. _I needed to see you more._ When she _awed _at me I began to wonder just how many grapes were on the vine she heard this through.


	15. Chapter 15

"What'd he say?" She asked as if she were looking at a bundle of puppies.

"Nothing." I replied.

I busted her bubble, "Nothing?" She repeated.

"For like…ten minutes. Then the rest of the time he was nervous."

"He's always nervous though." Garcia said trying to find a silver lining.

"Not with me! Spencer hasn't been nervous with me in a long time; before then anyway." I sat back in my chair.

She smiled weakly as she turned to face the wall of screens behind her. After a quick glance she turned back around, "You do have to consider he's not use to hearing that from the ladies." She said as she raised an eyebrow.

"How many other ladies have had dreams about him?" The words rolled out of my mouth before I could stop them. My eyes went wide as I looked anywhere but Garcia.

It felt like my body wanted me to breathe faster as my pulse raced through me. I've officially admitted to having some sort feelings for Spencer that were more than friendly. I have been forcing the feelings away from myself, let alone everyone else, from not knowing in the slightest how he feels about me. I held my breath as I met Garcia's gaze.

Her brow was raised and her mouth was dropped, with a smile tugging at her lips. Let out a slow sigh through the grit of my teeth as a smile slowly took over.

"So…"

"How many?" She asked.

"Just the one."

"When?"

"The last case, on the jet ride home."

A knock on the door got our attention, "Hey, we got a new case." Prentiss leaned in the room holding onto the door frame.

"Alright, I'll be right there." I stated as I stood up with a smile.

Prentiss returned the smile and headed for the round table room. I turned back to Garcia and my smile faded, "Tell no one." I commanded with a new form of panic in my eyes that I haven't felt since middle school.

Garcia's smile turned amused, "I won't. Now shoo, we have people to save." She stated as she turned to face the screens.

I sighed as silently as I could before heading to the round table room. **(A/N: That's fun to say…round table room.)**

We boarded onto the jet after finding out we were after an unsub; who is killing off families and who might have something to do with the Russian Mob. This guy had a lot going on in the killing world.

From the short time that I have arrived to work today, to getting on the jet, I've been finding myself avoiding Spencer. In little ways, to say the least, I wouldn't make eye contact with him or I wouldn't let myself be alone with him for very long. The awkward silence I felt was enough to drive me out of the BAU let alone the room we would be in. So instead of Spencer I sat next to Rossi as Morgan tried to get a card game going. That's what I loved about not briefing on the jet, we had enough time to get a small break and salvage what we had of ourselves before diving into this world.

"You in, Embreonna?" Rossi asked passing the card to Morgan.

I looked from out the window over to them, "Uhm, yeah. Deal me in."

**SPENCER'S POV**

I sat with my back to the wall on the couch portion of the seats. One foot on the floor and that leg rested on the other one; the one on the floor had begun to bounce on its ball as I tried to focus on the book I was trying to read. My eyes had a mind of their own at the moment as they shifted from my book to Embreonna, she had been avoiding me. I didn't mean for the situation we were in to turn out this way, but she has surprised me when she told me that one of the reasons she had joined the FBI was because of me.

I may have been out of school for a while, but my experience with girls then were…none I wanted to remember to say the least. What I wanted to say, what I should have said, was that I was glad she did.

I swallowed hard and looked back to my book, of which I couldn't seem to get past the second chapter. The pages I did turn I could barely remember from not reading them all the way; I had been turning pages to keep up appearances. One thing we didn't need was for the team to be worried about me in the back of their minds while we were after a serial killer.

I sighed and turned another page. I was little worried that one of them would notice; even trying to look like I was okay was difficult with Embreonna on my mind. The talk I had with Morgan before the briefing helped, in the sense that I knew what I had to do about it. What I don't know; how I am going to do it. However that may be it has to wait until after the case...which can be many days.

The jet landed, breaking me from my train of thought, as we all started to put our things away. We got into ort cars, Embreonna in one and me in the other, and headed to the police station. I slowly let out a breath watching the town pass outside as we drove through town. Later tonight I have to get Embreonna to talk to me so I could make everything right; make it how it's supposed to be. The car pulled to a stop and the engine cut off, "We're here." Morgan said catching my attention.

I nodded and got out with the rest of the team making our way into the police station. I swung my messenger bag over my shoulder and walked with my hands in my pockets. We were greeted at the door by the chief of police; he gave us a place to set up and went to get the case evidence boxes for us. When he got back with them the boxes Hotch gave us our assignments for the moment.

"Morgan, Reid; go to the city morgue and take a closer look at the bodies. Embreonna and Rossi; go to the crime scenes, take a look around. Prentiss and I will question families." The team quickly departed to Hotch's command. Morgan and I got into an SUV and headed for the morgue.

"Is it me or has Embreonna been avoiding you all day?" Morgan asked looking to me and back to the road.

I sighed, "Yeah, she's avoiding me." I replied staring ahead.

"When are you going to talk to her?" He asked as we took a turn onto the town's main highway.

"Tonight, if I get the chance."

"Good, it's weird when you two aren't talking." Morgan stated as we pulling into the morgue parking lot.

"You don't have to tell me."

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

After a long day, Hotch had sent us to our hotel for the night. I had already changed into my pajamas and was sitting on my bed, leaning back against the head board, watching some TV. I pulled out my pony tail letting my hair fall over my shoulders. I flipped through the channels; it seemed that everything happened to be on commercial.

A knock at the door pulled my concentration, what little there was, off of the TV. I looked to the door as I turned off the TV. I sighed, a small one, as I got up to answer the door. I ran a hand through my hair as I looked out the peep hole.

Dr. Smarty Pants.

I took a step back as if I had been caught doing something illegal. I was sure he wanted to talk to me about why I had been avoiding him; and it isn't like I could pretend to be asleep, he would've been able to hear the TV turn off. "Okay…okay." I whispered to myself as I unlocked the door. When I opened the door I looked up to Spencer and got caught in his gaze.

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**I'm sorry this took so long to update! I've been working on a lot of things and dealing with a few self issues. Hopefully I didn't loose anyone! Review please! :3**


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, Spencer." I greeted him with a weak smile.

"Hey, Em. Can we talk?" He asked as furrowed his brow and licked his lips.

I swallowed hard; no one has called me Em since I was a child and hearing it was bitter sweet at the moment. I regained any composure I could muster up, "Y-Yeah, come in." I replied stepping aside.

I closed the door behind him and turned to face him. For a few moments we just stood there awkwardly; I looked down at the floor, only looking up to his face once. Spencer had a look of hard thinking on his face; his brow furrowed as he bit his lip, "Can we sit?" He asked making me look to him.

"Uhm, yeah." I replied as we moved to the small table that was near the kitchen area.

Spencer sat across from me at the table. Though the short distance it was, it felt like he couldn't be farther away, "I –uhm- wanted to talk to you about the other night. When you –uh-," he swallowed hard, "said you joined the FBI for…for me."

My eyes fell from Spencer to the table between us, "What about it?" I asked just above a whisper.

He was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I'm glad you did."

I caught my breath and looked up to him, "You are?" I repeated.

Spencer's eyes locked on mine, "Yes. I missed you. Letters were never enough for me; every time I got one I was distracted from the case by either what you would say or how I was going to reply..." He said getting so nervous that was beginning to talk so fast that he was tripping over his words.

I sighed loudly, "Good, cause I'm not sure what I would've done if I made things awkward by telling you that." I said as we both stood up and I hugged him tightly.

I could feel him hesitate, only for a second, before hugging me back. I could hear him sigh slightly close to my ear, it sounded almost of relief. I broke the hug and cleared my throat as I took a step back, "Go get some sleep if you can." I said to Spencer while I smoothed down his tie.

I knew he wouldn't be able to, as long as I have known him he wasn't able to sleep very well. Sometimes I blamed the shockingly large amounts of coffee he drank, but knew that there was more to it than too much coffee. I just figured if he ever wanted to talk in depth about it, he would just bring it up one day. So until he does bring it up, my option is staying quiet about his troubles.

Spencer rubbed the side of his face; he looked as if he were trying to rub the tiredness out from his body, "Yeah, okay." He agreed.

We both smiled weakly and said our goodbyes as he walked out closing the door behind him. I locked the door and turned to lean back against it. It felt like everything was at risk with Spencer in that conversation we had just held. I sighed deeply and walked back to my bed and crawled in under the covers. Hopefully tomorrow everything will go back to normal; I turned off the light on the side table and tried my best to go to sleep.

**SPENCER'S POV**

I sat at the kitchen area table in my room with case files spread out on the table. My leg was shaking up and down like sporadic clockwork form talking with Embreonna. I was never good with words, unless it was about mathematics, chemistry and engineering, cold hard facts; things that were completely different than what I talked about with Embreonna; feelings.

Tonight, as like any other night, I couldn't get to sleep and I was going back and forth between writing my Mom and looking through the case for something we could've missed.

_Everything is better with Embreonna and me. I actually just got done talking to her a few moments ago, which honestly terrified me. I never thought I could get so…attached to somebody as quickly as I have Embreonna; I'm just glad that she seems to be fond of me as well. It's a little un-nerving when I think about it, though, because it is the only time when I feel like a complete moron. I have never had to handle a situation like ours before. It isn't even anything I could learn from a book either. I'll let you know how everything works out._

_I love you, Mom._

_Spencer_

I finished the final paragraph to my Mom's letter and set it aside for the moment. I wouldn't be able to mail it off until morning anyways. I tried to get back to looking through what I would've missed from the case, but couldn't get my mind off of what had just happened with Embreonna. I still feel the need to always be looking over my shoulder, for the haunting demons of my high school experience. Most of the time, I was being tricked into thinking that one of the popular girls had liked me, only to learn the hard way that it was nothing but bullies having their fun. The only thing I had to hold onto about this moment was that this wasn't high school and there are no popular kids.

I sighed and put the case file away and pulled out a book I had gotten one of the few books I had packed for the trip and tried my best to find peace of mind within the pages. I needed something, anything to get my mind off of the situation at hand, only for it to return in the morning when I would see her again. The heart pounding, nerve on edge feeling that has been getting to me since she joined our team, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Unless high school never ends.

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**I'm sorry this took forever to get out. I don't know what to do with these two right now. Lol. When the new season of Criminal Minds starts back up, I'll be able to think like them more and will hopefully be updating on a more regular basis. thank you for those who have been waiting and reviewing! Please keep reviewing! They fuel muh fire! XD**


	17. Chapter 17

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

I stood, in an FBI bullet proof vest, with my back against the outer wall of a warehouse on the outskirts of town, Spencer to one side of me and Rossi to the other, leading us down the wall and to the back of the warehouse. The sun was beating down on us, making me breathe a little harder as we turned a corner and waited by the back doorway. There was an odor that was creeping through the cracks of the door that made my face twist in disgust, "Good Lord, what is that?" I asked.

"Most of the bodies that turned up were missing vital organs. I assumed he was consuming them," Spencer said referring to a conversation the team held earlier, "but…it is possible…he was just…keeping them."

"To let them rot?" I asked confused.

"We're about to find out." Rossi stated as he slid open the door.

The smell had rushed out the door in waves, each one worse than the last. With our guns at the ready, we slipped through the door keeping to the wall as backup was on our tail; a few keeping to the wall and going the other way. I tried my best to breathe through my mouth, but the taste of the air was just as bad. We were able to walk the main floor of the warehouse without a problem and worked our way back to the office area. The closer we got to the back, the louder the shouts of struggle got. They were loud and clear as we stood before another door frame, meeting up with Hotch and Morgan on the other side, back up also on their tail.

Hotch was the first to enter to the screams, "Marcus Wallace, FBI." He warned as we followed him in, guns up.

Marcus didn't look up to any of us, keeping his gaze on the struggling body on the table. Spencer was right about the organs, all around the floor there were little piles of organs. A pile for each different type of organ, the smell alone was making me want to puke let alone the sight. I kept my focus on Marcus, to try to block out the scene around me. Before we came in I was instructed by Hotch to not say anything this time, I had agreed with a light smile on my face, but it was nice to know my team is looking out for me. So I stayed silent as the rest of my team tried to get him to put down his knife and surrender.

Marcus closed his eyes tightly and slowly shook his head back and forth, like he was trying to get a thought erased from his mind. He backed up a few steps before looking up to meet our eyes, "Это не так, как должно было быть..." He said as tears rolled down his face and the knife dropped from his hand. It clanged on the floor as he was handcuffed and walked out of the building. We quickly lowered and raced to help the man on the table, who started crying and asking about his family. He was relieved to find out they were okay and waiting at the police station.

I sighed as I walked out of the warehouse and over to our car. I leaned back against it and rubbed my hands up my face and over my hair to the back of my neck. I locked my fingers behind my neck and closed my eyes. The scene that had been laid out before us was a truly disgusting sight; it had only made me wonder what had finally pushed him to do these things. We never did find his stressor.

I felt someone take the place next to me, I opened my eyes and glanced over to find Spencer standing next to me, his hands in his pockets looking at me, "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I sighed out, "That was…just…it'll stay with me for a while." I replied.

"I know what you mean. Once we had an unsub who had kidnapped a girl and force fed her eleven fingers, it wasn't until later we found out that the fingers were all from different women…"

"Spencer," I laughed, "that's not helping."

He smiled out of realization, "Right, sorry." He lightly laughed.

"So, what did he say?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.

"Who?" Spencer asked furrowing his brow.

"Marcus, he said something before dropping the knife…" I reminded him.

"It is not, as it should be…" In other words Marcus knew he wasn't supposed to end up like this; that he was meant for something else, but he had been hurting for too long for his soul to heal on its own, pushing him towards his break of sanity. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was his stressor; simply knowing everything.

"I can't wait to get home…" Emily groaned as she walked up to us.

"Me either." I agreed.

"Anyone have any plans for when we get home?" Spencer asked as Morgan joined us.

"I know I'm going to spend whatever time we have off relaxing." Emily replied.

"I'm going to hit the town, mingle a little bit." Morgan said as a smirk grew across his face and a shimmy found its way to his body. His smirk melted into a genuine smile when he saw I was trying not to laugh at his little dance he had done. "How about you, Miss. Thang. Got any plans?" He asked as he shimmied in my direction.

I laughed, "Not hitting the streets that's for sure. I don't think much past a case to be honest." I admitted. I've never been able to plan ahead for anything with much success. In fact, I'm sure my only success of planning would be to join the FBI.

"Well, i-if you…don't have anything planned," Spencer started breaking from my thoughts as I looked to him, "There's a classic sci fi movie marathon tonight and tomorrow night. It's actually a drive in…would you like to go with me?" His gaze caught mine and it was like I forgot how to breathe. My stomach tied itself into knots.

"A night with Dr. Reid…" I tried to be as nonchalant as I possibly could as I pretended to think about it, trying to act like my lungs were working, "I would love too, Spencer." I smiled.

"But…" He said his eyes falling to the ground.

I shifted my eyes to look to Morgan and Emily with question, they only shrugged their shoulders, "But?" I repeated back to Spencer.

"Usually, when I invite the others to do something, there is a 'but' and an excuse not to go, better things to do I guess." He looked back to me and I shot a quick glare to Morgan and Emily who were looking anywhere but to me and Spencer as they slowly made their way over to Hotch and Rossi.

How could they make him feel that way? I looked back to Spencer and smiled, "Spencer, you are my better thing. You will always be the better thing."

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_**I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but ideas have been coming to me lately. :) So there's a plus. This is only chapter 17, it feels like so much longer to me. Lol. Review please! Tell me what you think, what you like, what you don't like, what you think I may be getting wrong, anything! It's always welcomed! XOXO**_


	18. Chapter 18

Spencer and I had arrived at the drive-in with just enough time to get snacks and return to the car. I quietly sighed to try and slow my heart that had felt like it was going to beat straight through my chest, which is no good for me. The movies had started and we were deep, towards the end actually, of the final Back to the Future. Spencer would laugh at some of the technical science parts, the movie must have been wrong in some way for him to laugh or maybe it was just a joke I didn't get, and I would laugh at some of the more pop culture parts. On the outside looking in it looked like a terrible mismatch, but inside it couldn't have been more balanced.

As the credits began to roll I laid my head back on the head rest and sighed. I looked over to Spencer before saying, "I am having such a great time."

"You know, I am too. Before you joined the group I had terrible luck with getting the rest of the team to do things outside of work." He replied with a smile as he at some popcorn.

"Well then, it's a good thing I don't believe in luck." I stated as I took a drink of my soda.

Spencer smiled as the next movie began to play. There was eerie music as the opening credits rolled, it was storming in the movie as thunder clapped and lightning flashed. The scene cut away to a screaming man whose skin was melting down his face, his muscle slowly melting after it.

"No!" I exclaimed instantly putting my hands over my eyes, spilling my popcorn a little.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked in alarm.

"I just can't watch this."

"You work for the BAU of the FBI and you can't watch this?" He was amused.

"I don't want to see it of I don't have to and you can't make me!" I laughed keeping my eyes covered from what hell the man in the movie was still screaming through.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked, I could vision him reaching for the keys.

"No, just…" I scooted closer to him and buried my face in his shoulder, "just tell me when the scene is over."

Spencer became very still, and I began to question if Morgan and Emily joking of him being a robot were true or not until he slowly wrapped his arm around my shoulders. It was a stiff arm and I wondered if his heart was beating as loud as mine…

* * *

**SPENCER'S POV**

I sat at my desk, trying to appear that I was seamlessly able to read the book in front of me, but I found myself flipping pages yet again only to keep up appearances. Only this time I knew I wasn't doing a very good job of it. My leg was shaking, every few seconds I would scratch my forehead to relief an itch that wasn't there, and I was breathing a little hard. I couldn't get my mind of Embreonna, which had become a new normal in my life, but this was different.

"Hey playa; how was the _date_ with Embreonna last night?" Morgan asked as he walked by my desk and over to his own.

He set his go bag down next to his desk as he shrugged off his jacket, "It was hardly a date…" I replied looking back to my book.

"Oh it was a date, which you asked her out on, I remember. I was there." He smiled and walked over to the coffee pot and got himself a cup.

_I don't get enough sleep for this… _I looked through the windows of the round table room, Embreonna was there helping JJ with her added work load. She looked up for a moment and did a double take when she caught my eyes, smiling. I returned the smile and with an internal panic rushed over to Morgan, "S-she probably didn't see it as a date though, just something to do that night."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"…No." I answered honestly as I reached for the coffee pot.

"Well, tell me what happened." He suggested.

I swallowed hard, "Uhm I picked her up, we got there, and we got snacks…"

"Nuh-uh," Morgan cut off my ramble of a list, "When the movies started, what happened?"

"We watched…I laughed, she laughed…" I coughed, "then when one of the movies was starting, it freaked her out and she-she hid her face in my shoulder."

Morgan smiled widely, "My man, my man it was a date."

"You had a date?" I jumped slightly from the voice behind me, it was recognizably Rossi. I turned to face him to be greeted by I confused grin on his face, "with who?" He asked as he took a sip of his coffee he bought from the café down the street.

"Embreonna," Morgan said with a tone that could insinuate something that didn't happen.

"She probably didn't see it as a date," I repeated.

"But you do?" Rossi asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I-I don't know," My voice got involuntarily high.

"Why don't you ask her what she thinks?" Morgan asked.

I turned my back to the counter and looked to him, "Won't that make me seem…" I couldn't find the word.

"Confused? Yes. It's okay, she'd probably understand." Morgan chuckled.

"Well I can't just walk up to her…I wouldn't even know where to start…" I trailed off.

Rossi held up another coffee cup I hadn't even noticed he was holding and gestured for me to take it, "Here's a warm green tea I picked up for her, do me a favor and take it to her for me?" He asked.

My jaw fell open slightly as stared at the cup. What do I do? What do I say? "What do I say?" I asked the more concerning question of mine.

"You're smart, you'll figure it out." Rossi answered as he forced the cup into my hand.

I sighed heavily before turning for the round table room.

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

I sighed as I stacked some folders into one of JJ's piles she had worked up. She had left the room a few minutes ago, on a phone call for one of the cases, and had given me some simple instructions. Profile into groups and stack. It was a little tedious, but I was happy to help her out.

My focus was broken as Reid walked in closing the door behind him, "Hey Spencer," I greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, Rossi wanted me to give this to you." He said; it came out more as a question though, as he handed me a coffee cup.

I smiled as I took it from him and looked out to the bullpen. Rossi and Morgan were standing by the coffee pot looking in to me and Spencer. With a confused look on why he didn't bring it to me himself, I raised my cup to him in a thank you. He raised his in return as I took a drink and looked back to Spencer. The look on his face was a hot nervous mess.

"What's wrong?"

The flood gates opened. Spencer had begun talking the fastest I had ever heard him speak. I had to concentrate on what he was saying, but even then I could hardly understand what he was saying. I could only catch pieces, 'last night', 'wondering', 'date'. That was all I needed for my eyes to go slightly wide. I hadn't realized he considered it a date.

I hadn't. The only reason why was because he didn't say date when asked me like guys traditionally do, on the other hand, Spencer isn't the traditional type of guy. He was still talking miles a minute and had looked like the look on my face panicked him a little more.

I set my cup on the table and gave in to a few little nervous ticks; licking my lips, swallowing hard, biting my lip. I looked down to the floor and took a breath as I stepped towards him; he stopped talking as I looked up. I caught his eyes and held my breath as I took another step closer to him; it was enough to fill the gap between us. I raised my hands, shaking slightly, and held his face. Without another thought about it, my lips were pressed to his. It took a few seconds, but I was relieved when I could feel his lips push back against mine and his hand were holding my cheeks.

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**I don't know why it took me so long to post this, it only took a day to write. O.o SO Big step for Embreonna and Spencer! What do you think of the chapter? Where the story is going? Review please? Gosh this chapter is so important to me. -.- Nervous.**


	19. Chapter 19

**MORGAN'S POV**

My eyes were wide with surprise of what we were seeing between Embreonna and Reid, "Did I see that right?" Emily asked. She and Garcia had joined Rossi and me a few seconds after Rossi and Embreonna raised their cups.

"I think so." I replied trying to fight a smile.

"How long has this been happening for?" Garcia asked.

"This would be the first time." Rossi answered as we continued to watch them as if they were animals in the zoo.

Embreonna broke the kiss and took a step back; her eyes went wide looking like a deer in headlights. I haven't gotten to know her well enough yet to make this assumption about her, but she didn't seem like the girl who kissed in public often, let alone in her work place, let alone her team watching her.

"Hey, Hotch wants us to meet in the round table room in fifteen; what are you guys looking at?" JJ said as she joined the group.

"Embreonna and Spencer just kissed." Garcia replied, her eyes still locked on the two of them.

"No way," JJ stated half amused and half shocked.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." I laughed.

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

I had made some sloppy excuse to leave and hurried out of the room and back down to the bull pin. I was less than surprised, to say the least to find the majority of my team standing in a herd with eyes locked on me. I knew they had been watching, their eyes were like lasers intensified by the glass that had been between us. I stopped a few steps away from them, shifting my eyes quickly to meet all of their gazes, my high school instincts kicked in, "I don't know. I don't want to talk about it and you can't make me." I said as I walked past them and over to my desk.

I would have given anything to be able to go hide out in the lair with Garcia, but she was one of the observers (A/N: shout out to Fringe!) and if I were to hide out there she would only ask questions. So my best option was to bury myself in a small stack of files that were on my desk. It worked for the most part; slowly the rest of the team broke away from the group and went about their business, but I could still feel their eyes lingering on me.

I glanced up to the round table room. Spencer was no longer standing there. I could only imagine what was running through his head or who he could possibly be talking to. _Morgan._ With my elbow on the desk I rested my head in my hand as I flipped through the file. I didn't regret doing it. I just should've picked a better time TO do it. If anyone above my head would have seen it, if Hotch even hears about it; there is a good chance that my job was on the line. I sighed and leaned back in my chair and swallowed hard at the thought.

I heard someone clear their throat, "Embreonna," JJ said catching my attention.

"Not talking about it." I sang out through a sigh.

"No, we have a case; Hotch wants us in the round table room." She explained.

"Oh, sorry..." I apologized as I gathered things I would need for the case and followed her up to the round table room.

Awkward tension could be felt as I broke the plain of the round table room. Spencer and Morgan weren't there yet, but JJ, Rossi and Garcia were and them knowing was enough to make me want to hide in a cave…with Spencer and an endless supply of books. The thought brought a smile to my face, so I decided to roll with it.

"Good Morning." I greeted the room as I sat down at the table.

Rossi's lips twitched to a small smile. He leaned back in his seat, "It sure is." He mused.

Panicking to what he said, knowing he saw, I coughed loudly and tried to look any place that I wouldn't catch anyone's eye line. Hotch, who was next to Rossi, looked up from his work, "Are you okay?" He asked shifting his eyes from his work to me.

"I'm fine." I smiled and slowly shifted to the door as I took a drink of my tea Rossi had gotten for me.

Spencer had hardly stepped into the room when our eyes met, stopping him in his tracks. Morgan stopped nearly right behind him, looked back and forth between Spencer and I before smiling wide with a small chuckle. He moved around Spencer and joined us at the table.

There wasn't any way he and I could talk about it at the moment. I couldn't even think of where to start with him. I smiled weakly, hoping he didn't think things was awkward between us, and I know it had to of cross his mind at least once already.

Spencer's lips twitched to a tight but weary smile as his gaze fell to the floor. I let out a slow sigh as quietly as I could, trying to not draw attention to it. I sat back in my seat crossing a leg over the other and looked to Morgan. He flashed me a smile with a nod of his head, assuring me everything would be okay.

"Reid…" Hotch caught Spencer's attention.

Spencer snapped his head in Hotch's direction; "Sorry…" he apologized while hurrying to take a seat.

"So where are we heading?" Morgan asked as the briefing began.

I would have to look over the case when we are in the jet, because I wasn't able to focus for the life of me. The rest of the team asked questions and talked about facts of the case while I struggled to follow anything that was being said. Spencer even managed to throw out a few facts when something he heard caught his attention; that managed to catch me by surprise.

I remember my first day here, my very first briefing, he wasn't able to say hello to me or even talk to the others; speechless for lack of a better word. Now I had kissed him out of the blue and he was able to take part, the little he did, in the briefing. Maybe I had read him wrong earlier, reacted to quickly.

Or Morgan said something to him…

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**A few things...**

**Sorry this took so long. :(**

**I thought I was going to have new ideas flooding to me when Criminal Minds started airing again, being able to see Spencer and everything, but the new episodes only made me realize that I'm writing him wrong. I think I had him right at first...but something changed somewhere in my writing...have any of you noticed it too? I'm going to try and get back to how I was writing. Somehow. I will try to update sooner, but i promise anything. :/ Sorry! But I will be working on it, you can bet on it.**

**Reviews are appreciated! XO**


	20. Chapter 20

We had our assignments before we stepped off of the jet; I was to go with Rossi to the crime scene. I relaxed a little when Hotch had instructed I go with Rossi; I wasn't ready to talk or have awkward silences with Spencer; or anyone else really, about it. My brain felt like it was fuzzy about the whole situation.

It would have been easier if Spencer and I were normal people. We would be able to be up front with each other instead of this cat and mouse game that kept us away from one another. Though if that were the case we probably would have never met; let alone be playing this game in the first place.

I climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV and pulled the door shut. I pulled my seat belt over my shoulder and fashioned myself in. There was little day light left in the area and, understandably, Hotch wanted us to get as much as we could done today. Rossi put our bags in the back and closed the trunk before joining me up front. I waited for Rossi to start the car, but instead watched as he turned to face me, putting one hand on the wheel.

I had a feeling I would regret it when I asked, "Yes?"

The light in his eye had told me I was right as he arched a brow, "You won't want to talk about it."

I laughed through a groan, "Oh, come on! Not you, Rossi!" I exclaimed letting my head fall back to the head rest.

Out of everyone on the team, I would have thought that Rossi, aside from Hotch, would have been able to resist the urge to talk about it. I didn't consider him a chatty Kathy, but I guess since this involved Spencer, everyone wanted to know what was happening, including me.

"What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. Now, let's talk about you and Reid." He settled in his seat.

"Don't we have a crime scene to get to?" I tried to get out of this conversation.

"So…" He let his sentence trail off as he faced forward stabbing the key into the ignition and gave it a twist, "tell me on the way." He said over the roar of the engine as he buckled himself in.

I let out another groan, "Seriously, there's nothing to tell," I said burying my eyes in the palm of my hands, "it just happened an hour ago."

We pulled out of the car lot and were on our way to the first scene, "Fine, fine; I'll hear it from a little birdy." He laughed as we continued down the road.

"I'm sure you will." I laughed lightly.

The rest of the car ride was filled with discussing the case. It was child abduction, all of our focus needed to be on the case instead of on me and Spencer. We only had nineteen hours left for a chance to find Tommy alive and to find who ever had taken him. Sometimes these cases were the hardest.

We pulled up to the curb of the home where Tommy was taken from. Rossi turned off the engine and we both unbuckled, getting out of the car. I closed the door behind me looking up to the house, "Already something looks wrong." I stated.

"I'm going to assume you mean besides the yellow tape." He retorted.

I laughed, "That would be the first red flag, but take the tape away and what do you see?" I asked.

He looked at the two story house; it had blue siding and white window shutters, green grass, a sidewalk the led up to the front porch, a tree in the front yard that had a tire hanging from one of the branches. It would be very easy to picture the 'All American Family' living in this home.

"All that's missing is the white fence." He stated.

"Exactly," I agreed. "What do you think they're hiding?" I asked as we stepped up to the side walk and walked the path to the front porch.

"I'd say a toss-up between affair and drugs." We laughed, it was a terrible thing to laugh about, but we had to be able to joke in some way with what we do for a living.

**SPENCER'S POV**

I had just finished putting up the maps of the town and began pin pointing the area of abduction and the child's house. The points weren't that far away from each other, so this unsub took a risk in this abduction. I pulled the lid off of a marker when I heard someone clear their throat from the door way.

I glanced over and saw Emily standing there with an amused look on her face, "Uhm, yeah?" I asked.

She tilted her head up slightly as a smile grew across her face, "So, you and Embreonna then?"

I could feel my eyes go wide. I did my best to try to avoid this conversation. I know I can talk to Emily about anything, we've been that way for a while, but I didn't know anything about the situation, less than that even. I coughed and looked away from her, "Do we have the security videos from the school yet?" I asked trying to keep the tone to my voice calm.

"Not yet, they're on the way." She replied as she took a step towards me, holding her hands in front of her. The palm of her right hand cradling her left fist, an unnerving smirk playing at her lips, "Well?" She asked drawing the word out.

"I'd _really_ rather not talk about it." I replied grabbing a marker from the table and turning back to the maps.

"Reid," She let her hands fall to her sides.

"Emily," I stopped her, "please." It was little good trying to talk to me about it anyway. Morgan had tried that as soon as I walked out of the round table room with little results, "Can we just focus on the case?"

She nodded slowly, "You're right, of course. Sorry." She smiled weakly.

I returned the smile and uncapped the marker; all of this was going to drive me to the brink of madness until everything was settled.

_When love is not madness, it is not love._

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**Such a filler. SORRY! I don't know what's up with me. :/ BUT, I do have a few more ideas. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE if you guys would please comment? It let's me know that a heap of people have subscribed to the story...but nowhere near that are reviewing. Nine, nine people have reviewed. Sometimes it feels like I'm writing to no one. Ya know? And besides, reviews fuel my fire to write. Tell me what you like, what your concerns are for the characters...anything. I'll try and update asap!**


	21. Chapter 21

**EMBREONNA'S POV**

Tommy wasn't taken in the night, we we're at his house, in his room trying to learn as much as we could about him. His parents had told the police the routine answers to their questions. We needed to be able to see through the veil of anything they say and dig deeper. I'm sure they wouldn't be very forth coming. Understandably, if some strangers were about to rifle through _my _life I would try to hide as much as possible too, but if whatever they were hiding could save their son, the sooner we knew the better.

Rossi and I were standing in the center of the room looking over everything before we searched through his things. We spoke up when we would realize something and talk about it before looking around again. Sometimes the first glance of the room by fresh eyes was the most important.

"He's not easily scared." I stated pointing to a dinosaur poster that was on the wall above his bed.

There were dinosaur things all over the room, a true boy he was. The room wasn't much of a mess for being a young boy's room. Almost spotless actually, both of his parents worked during the day and wouldn't have the time to clean the room during the week, "He cleans his own room." I said once I noticed nothing on the top shelves.

"He's boarder line OCD." Rossi pointed out, looking at a collection of small dinosaur toys on a table in the corner.

I walked over to Rossi and stood next to him, getting a closer look. If he wouldn't have pointed it out it would have slipped right by me, mostly because I organize nearly everything I own, for the sake of not losing things. Tommy had lined his dinosaur toys by size and color.

The table had rounded corners and was placed in the corner of the room. Looking down at it I could see something on the floor through the small space between the table and the corner of the wall. I squatted to the floor and looked under the table. In the corner was a small pile of yellow dinosaurs. Not lined up, just shoved in the back where they could barely be seen.

"I wonder what this means to him," I said picking one from the pile before standing back up.

I handed it to Rossi, "Is this the only one?" He asked.

"There are a few others; all yellow." I answered while moving to the other side of the room.

"He hates the color yellow." A voice spoke from the doorway. I jumped-not expecting anyone to be paying any mind to Rossi and me before we were done, and turned to face the door, "He thinks it's a girly color." His mother stood in the doorway.

Rossi smiled softly, in a small way to try and comfort her, "He's not wrong."

We spoke with her for a few minutes, asking questions the cops wouldn't think to ask or ones they didn't think were important in the first place. When it got to be too much for her to talk about I walked with her to the kitchen to get a glass of water for her. I understood the other side of the conversation and knew she needed a break from questioning.

I didn't know what to say as she pointed me in the direction of her cup cabinet. I grabbed a glass from the front and filled it half way with water before handing it to her, "We're going to find him." I said as she took a drink. I couldn't just leave her in the silence of her own thoughts where she was probably already thinking of the worst things that could be happening to her son.

"He's only eight." She said as she set the glass down on the table, "why would anyone just take an eight year old?" She questioned. It was clear she wasn't actually looking for an honest answer, but didn't know what to think about the reality she claimed as her own.

"The person who did this isn't going to get away with it." I said sitting across from her. The gentle shake in her hands had let me know I wasn't doing a very good job a reassuring her of Tommy's recovery. JJ should be the one console the mother, not me, but she was back at the station dealing with reporters.

"How could I let this happen?" His mother began to sob lightly, burying her face in her hands.

I quickly moved to sit next to her, resting an arm around her shoulders and trying to get her to look at me. I swallowed hard and took another shot, "None of this is your fault. Tommy isn't going to blame you. He's going to be counting on you to help find him, so he can come home and know he's safe again. I know it's difficult right now, but you need to find moments of peace where you can think clearly in order for us to bring him home." She had calmed down a bit, breathing a little on the heavy side, but in long soothing breaths.

"You're a mother?" She asked looking for my side of understanding.

I licked my lips, "Uhm, no. I've just...been in his shoes." I answered. She pressed her lips to a line and furrowed her brow as she took hold of my hand. Her eyes locked on mind as we shared a moment of connecting a broken link. From my side; abducted, and her side; an incomplete family. "Is there anything, anything at all; that you haven't told us? Even the smallest thing could play an important part."

Her eyes shifted back and forth across the room searching for an answer she had looked over, "His schedule was different today; he started tutoring at the learning center down the street from the school. He wasn't coming home; he was going there after school."

I nodded, it was small but it was a start, "Excuse me." She nodded as I got up and walked into the hallway.

I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Spencer.

To Spencer:  
_Tommy wasn't walking home. He was walking to a learning center down the street from the school._

From Spencer:  
_Alright, I'll mark it on the map and let the others know._

From Spencer:  
_Are we okay?_

I chewed my lip for a moment before answering him.

To Spencer:  
_When we get home we'll go for coffee. I think it's time we talked._

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**I was able to finish this chapter. :) I think it's a little earlier than what they have been updated in the past. SO, let me know what you think? Much appreciated. XOXO**


	22. Chapter 22

All of our work had led us to a man who worked at the learning center. We had made it to his apartment, and had him in custody, but still hadn't found Tommy; we didn't have much time to spare either. Something about Rossi and I were clicking on this case; Hotch had noticed and sent us back to the station to question the suspect. Rossi had first shift with him, I was observing behind the glass, paying attention to everything that Mr. Angelo was saying and how he was saying it.

"What I would give to be Spencer right now..." I muttered crossing my arms over my chest.

I sighed, that's the last thing my mind needed to be on at the moment. When I had told Spencer that it was time for us to talk, I thought I would've had something to say. The case was drawing close to an end and I hadn't the slightest idea. I swallowed hard; it would have to wait until later. THIS needed my focus NOW.

I caught it, right on time, Mr. Angelo shifted in his chair to the sound of another man's name. It was hardly anything, but it was enough to at least check. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Garcia.

"The Magnificent Penelope G, at your service."

"Garcia it's me, I need anything you can find on a man named Levi Tyler." I said while keeping focus on the interrogation.

"Got it, if he sat on a park bench, you'll know it." She replied, I heard the keys of her keyboard clicking in the background before suddenly stopping, "So…how's Reid?" She asked. I could picture her smiling playfully.

"Bye, Garcia." I laughed.

"We're going to talk about this!" She was able to shout before I hung up.

I would probably get an earful later for hanging up on her, but what did she want me to say? _Oh Spencer? He's great, we've been making out all day, and he's been reading psychology books to me as we cuddle by a fire place._ She may be expecting too much too soon.

"Need a pair of fresh eyes?" Morgan asked as he walked in, closing the door behind him.

"That'd be great. I have Garcia finding what she can on a Levi Tyler." I informed him as he took a spot next to me.

I could feel the air thicken around Morgan and I; my profiler senses were tingling. There wouldn't be an end to this until I spoke with Spencer, but that wouldn't stop the tension from building as the seconds passed. I had two options though, deal with it or…

"Go ahead…" I sighed as I turned to face him. The interrogation was being recorded and I would rather Morgan do this now than in front of Hotch.

Morgan turned to face me; he moved his arms from crossed over his chest to a hand on each hip. His face was neutral as he looked down to me; he took a deep breath in before a pearly smile broke out across his lips, "Reid and Embreonna sittin' in a tree, -"

"Oh my God," I laughed burying my face in my hands. He's a child, I swear.

He matched my laugh, "And this time I can sing it and mean it."

"This time?" I asked turning my body back to the questioning, but my face still looking to Morgan, "You've sang it before?"

"Once…" His smile still lit up his face.

"Freak…" I smiled.

He let out a short but loud laugh and we both put our focus back on the case. If I was getting this much grief over it, I could only imagine what Spencer was putting up with.

After a heated back and forth with Rossi, Mr. Angelo demanded his lawyer. I instantly switched out the tapes from the recorder and reviewed the interrogation, hoping I didn't miss something important while shortly talking to Morgan. It wasn't long before Rossi joined us.

"He didn't get fired up until I mentioned that we thought there was a partner." He closed the door behind him.

"So there is one and it could well be Levi Tyler." I said hitting play on the remote.

It wasn't even five minutes into the recording of the interrogation that my phone rang; I paused the video and dug my phone back out of my pocket, "Hey, Garcia." I answered it and put it on speaker.

"You hung up on me. That will not be over looked." She greeted me back.

I shook my head slowly with a smile creeping its way to my lips, "What do you got, baby girl?" Morgan asked with a light laugh.

"If you were looking for a partner for the hunt, I believe we've found one." Garcia began.

As it turns out, Levi had done time in prison for indecent exposure to a minor and for sexual-harassment of a co-worker before he moved to this town. So it was only a matter of time before he slipped up again. He also worked at the learning center where Tommy attended.

"Which makes me wonder about the other adults who work there; how do you not know your employees of a learning center for children are child molesters?" She asked, the clicking of her keyboard fell silent. She was looking for an answer.

"Shotty background checks, maybe?" Morgan suggested.

"Or extremely lenient ones; Garcia, how much are they being paid?" Rossi asked.

Garcia went back to her keys and sighed before answering, "They both volunteer."

The owner gets people who work for free, and they get a pick of virtually any kid they wanted. This whole thing just got even sicker and more complicated. It could very well turn into something that was going to be considered a shame of this town. Every adult who worked there would have to be investigated, every child questioned, if they would even talk about it.

"Thanks, Garcia." I spoke.

"You're still in trouble." She called out before she hung up.

Trying to fight a smile I shoved my phone in my pocket and looked to the members of my team, "We need to go and we need to go now." I said.

"I'll call Hotch." Rossi said as we walked out.

The team and I were able to find Levi Tyler and Tommy before they were able to get away. Levi was scared so far out of his mind that he could stop talking. I guess he thought admitting to everything and giving us all the information he could would get him off on a reduced sentence. I guess he never noticed that we never offered a deal. He was forced into the back of a police car, still talking about how it was all his partners' plan, as the learning centers C.E.O were brought in for questioning.

It was easy to see the fear in Levi's eyes. He knew what he was. He knew where he was going. He knew what prisoners did to people of his kind. Nothing was looking up for him or Mr. Angelo.

The jet ride home was a quiet one. We were all doing our own thing. I personally chose, _'inwardly panicking about talking to Spencer'_. It was a fine choice and suited me well. It would have been easier if it wasn't such a high pressure situation, with everyone knowing about it, it was almost like Spencer and I were putting on a show with no script.

We walked into the bull pen; it was night fall and I'm sure the others were anxious to get home. I had just reached my desk and set my bag down when I felt a very bubbly presence next to me. I slowly looked over my shoulder to find a grinning Garcia, basically bouncing on her feet.

"Well?" She asked. Her voice was soft but bursting with excitement.

"Can I at least put my things away? Please tell me I can at least put my things away." I said as I opened a desk drawer and began to put some things away.

"You hung up on me, you owe me something." She crossed her arms over her chest, her bracelets awkwardly sitting on her wrists.

I sighed as I turned to face her, becoming very aware of how tired I actually was, "I don't know what you expect me to say. We've been on a case all day and it was a quiet flight home." I told her as I finished at my desk.

She caught my arm as I began to walk away, "You mean there's nothing you can tell me?" She peered at me from over her glasses.

I sighed again and nudged her back a few steps, the less people involved in what I was about to tell her the better. Once I thought we were a safe distance from the others–

"We're going out for coffee as soon as we finish getting our things." I said still whispering.

"Like a date?" She smiled wide.

"Not exactly, I told him it was time for us to talk."

"Oh, Bre. Don't break his heart." She pleaded. Her hands folded over her heart.

_What's with the nicknames lately?_

I'm not sure what it was with the team and thinking only bad things came to Spencer, but breaking his heart was the furthest thing from my mind. I was hoping he at least felt the same as I have been feeling these past few weeks.

"After this morning, you really think I'm going to do that?" I asked before slowly turning around and taking my leave.

I left her in a bubbly, stammering mess. To give her a little benefit of the doubt, when you have a job like ours it was easy to look over the small happy things when you're drowning in all the dark things we see. I pulled the strap of my messenger bag over my head and it rested on my shoulder.

Spender waited for me by the entrance doors. His eyes locked on the floor and his brows furrowed. If I knew any better I would have sworn I hear the gears turning in his head. When my feet broke his gaze to the floor, he glanced up and smiled weakly, "Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah, anywhere you wanna go?" He asked as we walked through the glass doors.

_Anywhere away from the profiling vultures…_

"Drivers choice," I replied as I tossed him the keys to my car.

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_**So this is kind of a longer chapter. Would have been even longer if I wasn't stuck on this part. I have no clue how to write the next part. Hopefully, I'll figure it out and have it up soon. Review please? **_


	23. Chapter 23

The night air was cooling against my skin and even had a dulling effect on my working head ache. I had always done better in cooler temperatures anyhow.

Spencer and I had gotten our coffee and decided to leave the car parked at the shop's lot and started a walk around down town. People lined the sidewalks talking to one another and staring into the window displays of the stores. They were able to laugh and talk with each other so easily that it nearly made me jealous, wanting to know their secret of it. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized there were no hidden secrets or riddles to talking to Spencer and it was probably one of the greatest things about him. You can just talk to him and do it honestly.

We crossed the street to a city park. I hadn't even been aware that there was a park here; spending most of my time either on the job or in my own place sleeping, I had become shockingly unaware of my surroundings. That's never good. The park seemed to be a ghost town though; the walk way was lined with lamp posts every few feet and gave off an old London vibe, but the lack of people around made me worried. Girls like me don't do well at night.

I reached out for Spencer's hand, still not knowing what to say, but wanting my heart to pound for a different reason. His fingers laced with mine and I tried not to lock him in a death grip. I looked over to him to make sure, he smiled looking embarrassed and let his gaze fall to the ground as we walked. Who knew that that would take my panic away? I smiled and silently sighed of relief as we sat down on a bench underneath the bask of two lamps.

"I-I don't know what to say..." Spencer admitted as we settled. It sounded as awkward as I felt.

"We can keep it simple." I said as I turned a little to be in his general direction, "I think it's time we talk about how we feel about each other; you already know how I feel."

I smiled through my cheeks turning red as I took a sip of my coffee. It soothed the back of my throat as it went down.

"It sounds cliché, but I've liked you since we met in the hospital and it only grew when we started writing each other." He didn't look at me as he spoke, a bearing of rejection still lingering in him I suppose.

"The night you stayed in my hotel room was the best sleep I had gotten in a long time." I confessed letting my own gaze wander to the little stars there were in the sky.

"Me too, it was easier being in the dark knowing someone I cared about was there." At this point we weren't really even talking about us or how we felt; just sputtering out facts that made each other feel good. I didn't know if it would get us anywhere, but it made the conversation more relaxed.

"Before you started here at the BAU, the first time I came to visit you I was so nervous I almost changed my mind." He said taking a drink of his coffee.

"I'm glad you didn't." I looked back to him, giving up on finding any constellations.

Spencer was still looking to the ground, but with a new expression on his face. His eyes were calculated, his lips pressed to a soft line, a debate happening in his mind. He fought it and met my gaze. I smiled, hoping to relieve him of any worry or panic that happened to be easy for us to build. It didn't seem to work much so I opened my arms to him, reaching, hoping he understood.

The light caught his eyes as a fickle of a smile shown through, he opened his arms and I scooted closer to him. One arm wrapped around my shoulders I rested my head in the curve of his neck, "This feels right."

"If by right you mean, heart-beating-so-hard-it-might-explode then yeah, I'd say this feels right." He laughed lightly at himself.

I smiled at him poking fun at himself. "You're not as bad at this as you think you are." I shifted my gaze to the side of his face. "You don't have to be nervous, it's only me."

"It's not only you. It's _YOU._" He looked down at me. "I have every reason to be-"

I slid a hand threading my fingers through his hair, turning his head to face me. Only centimeters away from each other I could feel his breath on my lips; it came out in nervous shudders. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing, but our little back and forth wasn't getting us anywhere that led to progress. What I needed to do was get him to stop thinking with his brain, it's stopping him.

I bit my lip, finding myself in my own debate, before letting it go. Without another thought I leaned into him, bringing his head down to meet mine as our lips met. He was less hesitant this time, not even letting a second pass before his hand was on my side. His lips on mine were a blast of warmth that no cup of coffee could ever be compared too. My breath got lost in surprise when he deepened the kiss, parting his lips.

My hand fell from his hair to the back of his neck, suddenly needing some support as we ventured new territory. Our tongues danced with each other, almost in perfect time as we memorized each other in a new way.

It felt like all the time in the world had passed when we parted, breathing a little heavy and staring lasers into each other's eyes, "Em…" His jaw moved with no noise escaping and his eyes darted frantically. Now he gets nervous?

"Yeah," I responded. He had my full attention.

"Would you be my…" He couldn't get the last word out.

"Of course; I'd love to…boyfriend." I let him out of his inner terror.

He smiled, letting out a small laugh of relief. I matched his joy before leaning in for a quick peck.

_Finally…_

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**_HOLY POOP. I'm so happy with this chapter. :) I don't think I could have done it any better. BUT I would still love to know what you guys think. :) So review please? It would mean the world._**


	24. Chapter 24

"No way, O-M-G, this is so exciting!" Garcia exclaimed. I could picture a smile on her face and her hair up in pig tails held in place with fluff ball hair ties.

The team had gotten the day off, still dealing with the politics of the previous case; so I took the opportunity to try and make up for hanging up on her yesterday. So my inner teenage girl had decided to fill her in on all things Spencer and me. She was taking as well as I thought she would.

"This is probably the biggest gossip since JJ and Will…"

"Garcia, this CANNOT get back to Hotch. Please don't talk to anyone about it." I had forgotten all about Hotch and the 'no inter-office romance' rule that the BAU had.

"Bre, there is a good chance the team already knows."

I furrowed my brow; it hadn't even crossed my mind that they could know already. I was only telling Garcia to get her off of my back for hanging up on her. I needed to think fast, "Spencer doesn't gossip…does he?" I asked holding my phone to my ear with my shoulder as I got up from the couch.

She let out a short laugh, "Gossip; not so much. Talk when he's excited about something; oh yeah."

I swallowed hard at the thought. There was no doubt he would tell Morgan, who would in turn take it upon himself to tell the rest of the team. Morgan would know not to tell Hotch though…right? He and Spencer were like brothers and he would risk his job like that.

I got myself a glass of water to try and keep myself calm, as of late it felt like all I have been doing is panicking. There was little comfort in knowing Spencer was going to try and keep this from Hotch as well, because it hardly mattered when five other people knew and often forgot to act their age.

"Honestly, if Hotch were to find out…I think-"

A knock at my door had cut off the last of her sentence. I took a drink of water as I glanced over to the door.

"I gotta get that, Garcia." I sat the glass down on the counter.

"Who is more important than…is it Reid?" Her bubbliness had returned.

"Don't make me hang up on you again." I laughed slowly walking to the door.

"Alright, alright I can take a not so subtle hint. Don't get too crazy, Penelope out." She hung up quickly.

I laughed opening my door, tucking my phone away in my pocket. She wasn't wrong though, Spencer stood outside my place on the stoop smiling. His hair had grown out a little since I had first arrived, his bangs hung right above his eyebrow, still parted framing his face.

His fists were shoved in the pockets of his pants still a bit nervous. Spencer wasn't the only one though. I could only imagine how long this would take to feel normal for the both of us. It would be nice for a change.

I had become so use to being on my own since I had been abducted that I wasn't sure if the whole relationship concept was even an option for me anymore. Shortly after my return I found out – and had a hard time admitting – that I had developed trust issues with nearly everyone from my home town. How they would look at me didn't help either, it was easy to see I didn't belong there anymore.

I smiled and stepped forward with my arms held open for him. Spencer smiled, also taking a step forward and wrapped his arms around me.

This was where I belonged.

"I'm glad you came, because we need to talk about something important." I stated. I held onto him for a few brief moments, his sweater vest was soft on my cheek and he smelt of apple spice; I hadn't noticed that before.

He stepped inside; it was the first time he had been in my place officially since I had moved here. He closed the door behind him – looking around as he did so, getting the outsider's first look. "I like this more than your last place." He said following me into the kitchen.

I smiled, because I agreed with him. It was bigger than my old place and I was given permission by the landlord to decorate how I wished; it would have to be put off for when I ever had the time to even think about it, but the permission alone made me happy.

"Thank you, would you like something to drink?" I asked grabbing my glass by the rim.

"I'm good. You said we needed to talk?" He replied. I almost missed, but caught him swallowing hard after he spoke.

I took a drink from my glass, forgetting the hell I was accidentally putting him in by making him wait for me to answer, "Hotch." I let the name go after I swallowed, pulling the glass from my lips.

Nearly every muscle in Spencer's face fell to the topic, "He doesn't know does he?" A look of pure calculation took over his face. Spencer often let his eyes be windows – probably without realizing – and now in this instant I could see him thinking of every possible outcome of Hotch ever finding out.

"I haven't said a word to him, but I told Garcia and I'm almost certain you've already told Morgan…" I let him finish my thought as I took him by the hand and led him to the couch in the living room.

"I wasn't even thinking when I did. I was too happy to care who knew…" We sat down with little space between the two of us, but enough to see that we were still in the shadows of our pasts.

"Well," I leaned forward placing my glass on the coffee table – probably should have had some of that made before he got here – and leaned back into the couch, "I guess we'll have to keep things strictly on the down low for a bit. We're risking a lot by doing this you know?" He looked over to me and I knew he could he I meant more than just our jobs, but our friendship as well. Another thing that had gone unconsidered…

He nodded a few short nods and parted his lips, "Yeah, but it's worth too much not to at least try."

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OH MY GOSH. I'm so lost with what to do. Lol. Thanks for reading, reviews are much appreciated. :)


	25. Chapter 25

_I had lost track of time at this point. In my mind, I had been there for so long that it didn't matter, that all of the clockwork in my mind was set to survival. He hadn't even given me a way to keep track of time anyway. No clock. No calendar. No window. He kept me in a small room underground and close to maddening. It was dark; the only light hung by a wire fixture in the corner of the room and was controlled by a switch on the other side of the door. He only turned it on when he came in and turned it off as he left, leaving me in the silence of the dark._

_I sat with my back to a corner, leaning back against it with my knees pulled up to my chest. It had been a while –the only way I was even able to describe time anymore- since he'd been down here. The only thing I had to look forward to was the light turning on. No matter what happened after he would come down the stairs and through the door; being able to see had been so-_

_The light shone brightly making me groan and squeeze my eyes shut in the sudden blinding light. I quickly blinked it away knowing I didn't have as much time as I wanted to just look around._

_Nothing had changed. Nothing ever changed. I was surrounded by concrete walls with a floor and ceiling to match. The door was on the opposite side of the room – which was just far enough out of my reach, but with this chain shackled to my ankle a door was nothing less than torcher._

_The doorknob clanged has I imagined his hand taking hold of it. It turned and the door slowly opened with an agonizing creek…_

* * *

The team had been called in for work now that the day of politics for the last case had been over and done. I had been here a little earlier than I should have been. When I say a little earlier I actually mean none of the others on the team were even here yet. I had been up most of the night haunted by him in my dreams.

It hadn't happened often, but recently it was happening more often than not. I let out a yawn; I woke up from it in a cold sweat, scrambling for a light. Firstly thinking that this had been some sort of warning; a sign that he and I were still connected by some higher connection that told him everything he needed to know, that I was still afraid of him. Then a more rational voice –which sounded a lot like Spencer- convinced me that it was just because of the cases we've been working. I knew what panic was going through the victim's heads. I could see it in them so it could spark in my mind without me knowing until it was too late.

With nothing to do yet I got up from my desk and walked over to the coffee pot to try and get myself geared up for the day. I could tell it was going to be a long one.

"Do my eyes deceive me or are you actually here before I am?" I smiled as I set the coffee pot back on its burner and sent a glance over to the glass doors.

Garcia stood with her purse over her shoulder and a rollaway suitcase. She never knew if she would have to leave with us or not, but you can bet she would always be prepared. She looked like she was wearing the highest of heels –orange heels- that stood out to the rest of her outfit. She was getting in touch with her spring side in a pink floral print skirt that stopped a bit below the knee and blue and white striped navy shirt. The force was strong with this one.

"I had a rough night of sleep." I explained. Garcia had quickly become a dear friend of mine in my time being here so far. I trusted her completely, but something in me didn't want to admit to having nightmares. They needed to know I could do this job.

She gave me a look as I brought my cup to my lips and took a drink, "You and Reid should get married." She said.

I nearly choked on my coffee; it burned the back of my throat, "Excuse me?" I managed to question through coughs.

"You're too much alike. It's pretty much a sign from the Gods." She smiled as she turned and wheeled her way down to her lair.

I watched her until she disappeared and swallowed hard in between coughing. I looked down at my shirt as I began to compose myself. I had taken little damage as a brown coffee mark looked back at me near the bottom of my shirt. I hurried back to the coffee pot, getting out the last of my coughs, to grab a napkin in an attempt to save my shirt.

"Embreonna, you okay?" I threw a glance over my shoulder to find Hotch standing behind me. His go bag over his shoulder and he was looking through a file folder at documents I hoped didn't have to deal with a crazy killer.

"Yeah," I swallowed hard and turned to face him, "Garcia just tried to kill me."

It only took a second for him to stop looking through the folder and meet my eyes with a smile playing at his lips. I understood why he was smiling. What I had just said sounded ridiculous on nearly every level. Garcia, our bubbly technical analyst - nerdy hippie girl had just tried to kill me.

I fought back a smile on my own, trying not to laugh and said, "There is a chance that it could have been a misunderstanding…" I failed a little in the laughter area as I little chuckle escaped me.

A full smile broke onto his face as he shook his head slightly and made way for his office. There was no doubt in my mind that he had to feel like the parent of the rest of the team - especially with Morgan. Though, I knew he liked being the parent of all of us. A family needs to have someone to keep them in focus.

Slowly everyone had shown up. I was at my desk when Spencer had walked in. We smiled and waved to each other, still going with the 'down low' plan. It was easy enough; no making out in the bull pen, no calling each other by crazy sickly pet names – as if we were doing those things when we were alone, but there had to be something between us to be down low about right?

I looked over to him for a moment, just a quick one, but not quick enough. He caught me and smiled back; a look of pure happiness. I could feel my cheeks go warm as my smile turned inward and I looked back to my computer screen. Oh right, there was that.

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**Thank you to those who have been commenting! It really does keep me going when I know people are looking forward to reading it. :) And I hope you all continue to comment.**

**This was a little bit of a filler, but it also sets pace for future chapters. So it's one of those in between chapters that I like/hate to write. Ya know? It gives you hints on things...but really nothing is happening at the moment. Don't worry though I got things figured out...a little bit. :) Thanks for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26

A few hours of desk work and out of place joking with Morgan and Emily passed before we were called for a jet briefing. Hotch had walked through with JJ close behind him as he told us to be ready and on the jet in ten. We all shared glances with each other before jumping up and walking out of the building with our bags on our shoulders. There was probably a time when thinking of jets meant fantasies of fame or fortune instead of the sleepless nights - which seemed to over stay their welcome - that we spent calculating the next move of a rouge soul. Though if you offered me all of the fame and fortune in the world - I'd still choose this any day of the week.

I took my seat on the jet; Spencer sat next to me as the rest filed in. I laid my head against the head rest of my seat and glanced out the window. Since joining the team I had become easier with flying. Not that you would catch me flying off to somewhere just for kicks, but I was able to fly without clawing at the arm rests.

The jet shook a bit as it took off, once we were in the air Hotch spoke up, "Twelve bodies have been discovered over the past two weeks in Chicago." He was looking down at his tablet that Garcia had provided the team, sliding through the case details. The rest of the team's tablets lit up with information Hotch had just shared with us.

"Twelve? Why weren't we contacted sooner?" I asked as we scrolled through the file.

"Ten of the bodies were found yesterday, in the same condition of the first two, all in a recently closed meat packing company. The owners hadn't gotten around to shutting off the electricity yet. They were found by a group of teenagers trespassing on the property looking for a place to get high. When the bodies were able to get a proper autopsy, their times of death had all been placed in a two week perimeter." I scrolled through the victim's identification pictures and crime scene photos as Hotch offered details of the case.

"Where were the first two found?" Spencer asked.

"One under a bridged highway, the other in an alleyway; both found before the others." Hotch answered.

My face twisted in disgust, not from what I was seeing in the crime scene photos, but for the fact that at some point the unsub decided he actually needed the bodies for something. "The locals were able to find a suspect, Collin Marcell, who was the only connection between all of them."

"If they already have a suspect, why do they need us?" Morgan asked looking up from his tablet.

"They can't find him. They're hoping we can come in and look at everything to try and find out where he's been and where he's going next. When we land, JJ handle the press; Prentiss, Morgan and Embreonna I want you to go to his house see what you can find that they couldn't; Rossi and Reid, head over to the crime scenes, I'll join you after talking with the chief of police." Hotch excused himself as he dialed a number into his phone.

"What are the chances that this guy will just…walk into the police station and turn himself in?" I asked in high hopes that it was a prediction into the near future.

"Do you really want to know?" Spencer asked looking over to me then back down to the tablet.

"No she doesn't." Prentiss laughed.

I smiled and looked forward at her, "What makes you think I don't?" I chuckled with her.

"Let's just have a few moments in bliss before we have to actually know the statistics of this killer." She answered letting her tablet drift into sleep mode.

"It could be worse." I implied, something dastardly forming in my mind.

Morgan and JJ looked back and forth to each of us as we spoke. Grinning and looked to each other, knowing not to jump in the middle of it.

"Could it?" Rossi asked, that twinkle in his eyes sparkled as he spoke.

I smiled suspiciously like a child who was up to something and looked over to Spencer. He caught my glance and gave me a small wicked grin of his own. He knew I was about to set him up for something, "Hey Spencer," I said a little loudly for them all to hear.

"Yes, Embreonna?" He answered me with a smile turning his head to face me. It almost sounded like we were staring in one of those old cheesy school movies about drinking and driving in the seventies.

"What's the highest digit you can count to in Pi?" I asked with a shit eating grin on my face.

Everyone groaned a little dramatically, Spencer was trying not to laugh, "Spencer its fine, we don't really need to know…" Morgan tried to stop the madness before it began.

Spencer ignored him, "That's so nice of you to ask Em; 3.1415926535..." I laughed loudly as the rest of the team, aside from Hotch who was still on the phone, groaned and tried to hide smiles as he rattled off every number of Pi he knew. They knew he would go on until we landed and parted was, just to make everyone comically miserable. I couldn't contain my laughter that had died down to a chuckle. It was easier on me because I was the one who set him up for it.

Spencer and I locked gazes again; we were both smiling at the situation. I lightly tapped his foot with mine. He returned the gesture before looking back to the others to enjoy the looks on their faces as he continued.

"Come on pretty boy, you're slowly killing us!" Morgan laughed.

"Slowly," I repeated his word with a smile that didn't seem to want to leave, "That won't do, Spencer, talk faster." They groaned louder as Spencer obliged to my request.

I couldn't help but to laugh harder as the rest of the team started crumpling up paper into balls and throwing them at me and Spencer in protest, but he and I have got to find a way to be comfortable somehow and this was only a small step.

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**Sorry this took a bit, but now I have a better idea of what I'm doing. :) Thank you so much for the comments. And welcome to anyone who is new to reading this. :) I hope you will continue to review as the story goes on. It helps when I know what everyone is thinking about what's happening. **


	27. Chapter 27

Morgan, Printess, and I arrived at Collin's house; it was clear that he hadn't been there since he had begun killing. There were dishes cluttering up the sink in the kitchen, some food that had been left on the plates now rotted, flies feeding off of it. His room looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Large furniture had been knocked to the floor and pools of bedroom items, books clothes, discs and everything in between had been destroyed.

"Everything has already been bagged and tagged so you can move anything around." Our escorting officer spoke as he placed his hands on his hips above his belt. His eyes followed us as we walked past him and stepped carefully through the bedroom. He had been all but welcoming on the way over from the station. It was common though, bitterness from the force having to ask for outside help, feeling like they didn't need it.

"Thank you, if we need anything we'll let you know." I looked to him as I spoke. He looked annoyed and tired as he met each of our gazes before letting out a light sigh before going back to his car.

The front door closed loudly and Morgan chuckled, "Its gunna be one of those cases then?" He knelt down to the ground sorting through some items on the floor, sorting them into certain piles of things.

"Do you think it's a man thing or a cop thing?" I asked Printess as we began to look around. She looked at me with a toothy grin and I winked at her so she knew for a fact I was messing with Morgan.

A tall bookshelf lied on its side jutting out from the corner of the room. She slid it on its side to lean against the wall, "I'm sure it's a man thing."

"What's a man thing?" Morgan, crouched to the floor, turned on his toes to join the conversation.

"Not wanting to accept anyone's help to solve a problem." I began collecting books, reading the titles and stacking them. Most titles I read had to do with religion or psychology every few books I would see one dealing with biology and anatomy. I've seen this combination of subjects enough times while I was studying past cases to know nothing about this was going to be easy. I furrowed my brow, there were way too many of these books; a collection that could fill a library on its own.

I turned to face Morgan, a book in each hand as he bared a shit eating grin and said, "I see how it is, you expect us to do everything and then get mad when we want to prove we can. Just like a woman," Morgan took his turn for a playful jab, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh at it.

"Who exactly are we dealing with here?" I asked holding out the books.

Their smiles vanished as they stood up and stepped over to me. They each took a book from my hands and looked them over, "Are they all the same subject?" Printess asked. She held an anatomy book in her hands, flipping through some of the first few pages of it.

"Anatomy, science, religion; all the ones we need to see to be kicked into overdrive. And I haven't even been through every book yet, who knows what else this guy knows." I answered looking over my shoulder as if the unsub himself were lurking in the doorway.

"We need to get Reid over here." Morgan pulled out his phone and stepped out of the room into the hallway. He walked down the hallway as he began to explain the situation, to who I assumed was Hotch, and get Spencer over here.

I knelt down, picking up another book and began to skim through it. He had made notes around the outline of the words on a majority of the pages. I set that books down and chose another; it looked like the previous one, notes scribbled around, some pages had even been blacked out and _useless_ had been written at the top. I could only guess that every book in the room looked like this in some way of its own.

"Speaking of Reid," Printess spoke in a sing song tone, "I heard something about the two of you." I slowly raised my head to meet her eyes. Her eyes held a childlike essence as she smiled.

"Is this really the time to talk about it?" I laughed through a groan as I rose to my feet.

"With our job, it's never the right time. But we will talk about this." She wagged her finger at me as if saying, 'You wait and see...'

"You know what, when we get home, you, me, JJ and Garcia – since I'm sure she's the one who told you whatever it is you think you know – will have a girl's night out and we'll talk about whatever you want."

She smiled and nodded as Morgan came back into the room, "Reid's on his way. We should probably start looking through the rest of the house."

We agreed and split up, each taking a different room to look through. Though after that little conversation with Printess I was finding it hard to focus on one thing; my mind went through different stages of worry – that this un-sub was more than we originally thought, that Hotch already knew about Spencer and I – and my body just going through the motions of searching a room with detail. I shook myself out of it and made myself pay attention where my attention was most needed.

The living room didn't look like much. He had a couch that faced a TV- that had its screen busted through - with a coffee table dividing them, more books stacked tall against the walls and that was it. There were no pictures – of family and friends or any artwork – on the walls, the only signs of decoration had been a rug underneath the table. I crossed the room to look at the books, it was important that we knew about anything he knew about.

The floor creaked beneath me as I passed in front of the couch; a hollow creak that gave the floor a light bounce. I stopped looking down to the floor where it had creaked. I bounced up and down on the balls of my feet a few times. It creaked louder and almost sounded like wood lightly clapping together. I hurried and moved the table and couch away from the rug, grabbing with both hands and flipped the rug a side.

A trap door was hidden beneath the rug; a small hole looked back at me at the top of it where one would pull it up. I pulled my gun out from its holster and slowly looped my fingers through the door hole.

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**So thoughts on this chapter? I know where I'm going with this now, but it takes a little bit to get it all straight and out of my head, so I hope you all can be patient with me. -.- Sorry if it takes a while to update. Please Review?**


	28. Chapter 28

I pulled the door up and pushed it back to where it rested open. The light streaming in through the window had lit up the first few stairs down, but after that it had been pitch dark with no sign of light. I pulled out my flashlight, clicking it on as I call out to Morgan and Printess, "I found something, may need back up!" I shined my light into the darkness only to see nothing. It went down further than I expected.

Morgan had approached me first, "What'd you find?" He asked as he stood next to me looking down into the hole.

"Some sort of basement I assume. Cover me?" I crossed my arms, my gun pointed down the stairs with my flashlight hand resting firmly behind my gun.

Morgan pulled out his gun and flashlight in a silent agreement and followed as we walked down the stairs. The air turned damp with every step we took and I couldn't shake the musty smell that came with it. I slowly let the light of my flash light line the wall and followed it around the room, when it hit a corner I realized it led down to a small hallway that was at least five by fifteen just from appearances, though I knew that it had to be bigger from looking at the wall to my right. It had two doors that were five feet apart from one another and there had been thick metal rings sticking out from the outside of the door frame. Through the rings, resting just above the doorknobs, iron rods jutted through, stopping anything or anyone on the inside of the rooms from getting out. I swallowed hard and looked over to Morgan; he stepped forward and walked to the door farthest from me taking hold of the door knob. He gave it a twist - it was unlocked. He looked to me and gave a short nod, not taking the risk of talking, I understood as I began to quietly maneuver the rod out from the rings. It only gave off a light metallic sound as I slid it out and rested it against the wall.

We looked to each other, each with a hand on the door knobs, and pulled our doors open. They swung open and we moved forward. I searched for a light switch along the wall with my free hand, keeping my gun pointed forward the best I could, I sighed of relief when I felt one beneath my hand. I flipped it up – and shuttered out a cloud of breath to what I saw.

A row of bodies lined the back of the room, hanging by meat hooks pierced through their throats. Their throats had been cut clean out, spines exposed with the hooks pushing through. This was a freezer; maybe his first, maybe his last, maybe these were special to him – ones he wanted to keep close. My eyes followed down their bodies to the floor, they had completely bled out; bloodstains pooled under their bodies and had emptied out through a drain pipe in the floor.

I lowered my gun and clicked off my flashlight; I knew enough from listening to Spencer to know that these people had been alive when he did this to them. Not being able to find my voice to call for Morgan or Printess I began to slowly back out of the freezer – not taking my eyes off of the bodies. I backed into the wall at the bottom of the stairs, swallowing hard as my back hit the wall. Still not being able to find my voice, I waited; for Morgan to come out or for Printess to come down, I waited.

"It looks like this is where he imprisoned people. There are a few cots, blankets – if he held them for long he brought what they needed down to them." Morgan described the room as he walked out. Printess could be heard above us walking around; we both looked up to the noise for a moment before his brow furrowed and asked, "Bre, what's wrong?"

My eyes shifted from the room, to Morgan, and back again as I swallowed hard and pointed to the room I had just backed out of before I headed back upstairs. I couldn't stand to be this close to the bodies anymore and I'm sure someone else could handle this better than I could.

I passed Printess at the top of the stairs, she looked like she was about to say something to me but barley stuttered out a words as I brushed past her walking back through the house and out the front door. I sat down on the stoop, resting my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands. This had been the worst I had seen in person. Seeing the photos was different; I was learning facts about the case – about the unsub – and the pictures in the case file were nothing like this. There were no hanging bodies on hooks, no drain pipes, nothing I hadn't seen before, nothing I couldn't handle.

I heard a car pull up to the curb, I peeked through the cracks of my fingers to see Spencer getting out of an SUV and starting up the walkway of the house. I stood up and hurried over to him, maybe I could leave and go back to the station to help JJ or I could takes Spencer's spot with Rossi at the meat packing plant – all the bodies from there had already been moved to the morgue. Anything would be better than staying here and having to profile the mess in the basement.

I stopped on a dime in front of him, he caught me by the waist and tried to keep us both balanced, "Morgan and Printess are inside. We called you for the hoard of books, but we found a basement and…I'm sorry you have to see it." I stopped talking and took a breath. His hands were still on my waist and mine settled on his upper arms, holding onto him tightly.

He looked at me eyes wide with surprise of how fast I had spoken; the rest of his face a blank expression. I could only imagine how I looked right now – an FBI agent not able to handle the sight of the victims, shaken by the smallest things like book titles. I remembered a conversation we had, how he had told me he was advised to use the nightmares to work harder through cases. I could only hope that would kick in for me in this case, until then I needed an out.

I slipped my hand into his jacket pocket and grabbed the keys to the car he had just arrived in; Morgan and driven us here and still had the keys and I wasn't about to go back into the house to get them, "The basement was hidden so be sure to check absolutely everything," I jingled the keys, "I'm going to take your place with Rossi." I wasn't letting myself think when I leaned forward on my tip toes, kissing him on the forehead, "I'll see you later." I managed to rattle out before moving around him and speed walking to the car.

That night when I finally decided that I wasn't going to be able to sleep I sent Spencer a text asking if he was awake. I already knew he was before he replied making my phone light up with confirmation. After reading it I hopped out of bed and put on my shoes. I grabbed my room key off of the dresser and shoved it in the pocket of my sweat pants with my phone before walking out of the room. My legs seemed to move without me having to think of where to go, every movement seemed natural.

When I found myself outside of his door I lightly knocked not wanting to wake any of the team on this floor. I heard shuffling behind the door, it opened a crack – the chain lock stopping it and Spencer peeked out from behind it. He smiled upon seeing me, closed the door and released it from the chain. The door opened and I quickly entered his room. I knew as I pulled him in for a hug that if any of the other's had seen me sneak into Spencer's room that they would suspect something that's not. It made a soft laugh escape my lips.

He held onto me tighter as he turned us around. His back now to the door he extended a leg behind himself and kicked it closed, "I'm so sorry about earlier." He still smelled of coffee from the day and maybe even from a few moments before I had sent him a text.

"Em, I'm not surprised. It'll probably be a while before you're able to stomach the sight. You don't have anything to be sorry for." He led me over to the bed; we climbed onto it – not getting under the covers or lying down but sitting cross legged in front of each other. We sat knees to knees as he leaned to turn on the light that sat on the nightstand next to his bed.

"Still, it isn't good that I'm the new girl in town and not having the ability to do my job to my fullest capacity." Our hands met in between us, bridging the gap, moving with each other. Maybe if I memorize his hands this way, every curve and every joint, it would be easier to figure out if he was palming something during his magic tricks.

"When you're able to do this job and not get a dry throat from the sight of the victims, I'll be worried." He caught my hands in our game of cat and mouse and I looked up, meeting his eyes.

I couldn't stop an eyebrow from jerking upwards, "And how about you?" I asked, "I haven't seen you swallow hard to them."

His lips pressed to a hard line before he spoke, "I handle it differently."

I smiled weakly; of course he does. He doesn't just have nightmares about nothing. I hummed as I leaned forward, my hands on his knees keeping me steady, I planted a kiss in his forehead and rested my forehead against his, my eyes closing to the warmth. He moved his hands to my neck and held me there as his lips pressed to mine. I melted into it, not wanting to move away. His breath on mine was something I was willing to get used to. We both pulled away, just enough to get a breath.

His eyes on mine, I motioned my head towards the pillows, "Let's at least try and get some sleep. This case is a big one."

He nodded in agreement before asking, "Mind if we sleep with the TV on? The dark and I aren't close friends."

"I don't mind at all." I replied as we moved to turn down the bed.

He reached for the remote and turned on the TV before turning off the light. When he settled into the bed, I scooted next to him, laying my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and I sighed in content, "Good night, Spencer."

I could almost feel his smile as he replied, "Good night, Em." He rubbed my side lightly as I closed my eyes in an attempt for peace even if it was so I could only wake up to the chaos. Even if it was just for the night.


	29. Chapter 29

I had woken up a bit earlier than usual to sneak back to my room without being detected. Spencer walked me to the door, he yawned loudly, covering his mouth. I smiled and snaked my arms around his torso, locking them behind his back and pulled him in as close as we could be. He laughed only for a moment out of surprise, my body shaking from the movement, before his arms were around me, slowly rubbing my back.

"I'll see you in a few hours." I said as I looked up at him. The top of my head barely met the curve of his neck.

He kissed the top of my head and gave me one last hug, "You better go before Hotch wakes up."

I nodded, breaking away from his embrace and cracking the door open; I peeked through making sure the coast was clear of any of our teammates before I slipped through, quietly closing the door behind me.

I began getting ready for the day as soon as I stepped foot back in my room; it was only about two hours before we were required to be at the police station, but I knew that there would be no chance of me falling back asleep. I had gotten a shower - the warmth of it not coming close to Spencer's lips on mine - afterwards deciding to watch the local news. If something had been uncovered or if a body had turned up somewhere there was a good chance of someone on the force or the person who found the new evidence would sell the information to the media - and I liked to know what I was walking into.

Wrapped in a bathrobe and toweling my hair off, I searched for the tv remote. I found it in the seat of the recliner and clicked the TV on taking the remote's place in the seat. The TV faded in - the camera locked on a scene that was a few feet away, a block or so from the woman who was in front of the camera. Police cars were lined up outside of a house; the caption bar had read it was somewhere on the south side of town. An ambulance arrived on the scene and I turned up the volume.

"A call was made to 911 last night from the south side. In the recording you can hear screaming and breathing like someone is trying to speak, but they can't seem to find the words before what sounds like a door slamming and a final scream before the call cuts off."

They played a sample of the recording, the dispatcher trying to get an answer from what sounded like two terrified women and heavy breathing. How could they air something like this? There wasn't a single person that would benefit from hearing this call, but that's what happens when the media gets a hold of something they know nothing about. They never thought about the aftermath - parents worried for their children, people being afraid of going outside, the condition of the families those women belonged to.

The reporter continued, "Police arrived on the scene minutes after the call was made to find the front door to this residence wide open." The camera panned in on the house; paramedics rolled a gurney out of the front door and to the back of the ambulance - as the rolled it the body was covered fully, dead, a red stain going across where the throat was. My eyes got wide as I jumped out of my seat, grabbed my room key and bolted out of my room.

I sprinted to Spencer's room, I already knew he was up and he could help me get the others alert. I knocked on his door rapidly and loudly hoping he could hear me or that he wasn't in the shower. The seconds couldn't go by fast enough and I gasped for a breath when the door opened.

"Wake up the team. Tell them to turn on the news, hurry." I didn't give him a chance to speak before I sprinted off down the hall.

We knocked on all the doors, telling them to turn on their tvs and running to the next door. We had probably woken the entire floor and the floor beneath us by the time we were done, but that would be a problem to handle when we get back. The last door I knocked on was Emily, she answered like the rest, groggy and barely awake, "There better be a good reason." She said as I followed her into her room.

She turned on her bedside lamp as I reached for her tv remote. I switched over to the right channel hoping they were still covering the story. The broadcast was still on the subject, but was now in a split screen - the reporter on scene on the right and the news anchor in the studio on the left. As they spoke, they barely looked bothered that this was happening, just two people doing their jobs on another day.

I tossed the remote to her, "It's him." I stated. She blinked hard a few times, her jaw dropping slightly to the sight. "I've already gotten the others up." I walked out of her room and back to mine, hoping she took the hint to get dressed and ready to leave.

* * *

"Who gave you the authorization to air that?" Hotch stood eye to eye with the chief of police.

Chief Andrews sighed, "Look," he crossed his arms over his chest, "I have a town to protect. And now this guy is breaking into homes and killing. The people have a right to know what they are up against and how to protect themselves." His eyes slid from Hotch, Morgan, Spencer and finally myself as he tried to explain.

His eyes did no good on me - no matter what sickly shade of green they were - he looked back to Hotch without have to raise or lower his gaze. He had Hotch's height and half of Morgan's build, but i was still willing to bet that I could take him - if necessary of course.

"And you think the best way to do that is by letting them know that not even in their homes are they safe?" Morgan asked. Andrews didn't reply, but we didn't need him to in order to make it clear that this case was officially ours. "With this being such buzzworthy news, Colin has probably already seen it."

"We can only assume that he knows everything, since you aired everything but our blood types," I didn't give a chance for anyone to stop me, my voice only getting louder, "and now we're back at the beginning. How is causing mass panic ever the best idea? Were you even thinking when you made that decision? You're just lucky that I'm not your boss -"

"Embreonna," Hotch shouted over me and threw me a stern look, "take a walk."

I seemed to have stopped breathing as my eyes were locked on Andrews. he stared back at me - less of in defense and more of regret. Anger was building up inside of me just by the look of him, knowing he was the one who let that air without thinking of the consequence. I refused to be the first to move out.

"That's an order." Hotch gave me my final warning. I sighed, deeply, before turning on my heels and storming out of Andrews office.

Hotch telling me to take a walk was a vague order to give, without an assignment for the moment I left the police station and just stood next to our cars in the parking lot. I leaned back against the SUV and stared out to the highway.

It was still early; after we had all seen the news report - that the news station was kind enough to air on a loop - we got to the police station as quickly as we could. The sun was beginning to rise, I thought of people waking up and getting ready for work, parents sending their children off to school - hugging them close and hoping for the best. Any attempt at a press conference would be useless, there wasn't anything JJ could say to calm anyone anyway.

Footsteps on the concrete caught my attention. Morgan slowly approached the SUV, his hands in his pockets, and stood next to me. "You okay?" He asked looking over to me. He knew I wasn't. What he was really asking was Where did that come from?

"What if we're not able to find him now?" I chewed the inside of my cheek. I kept looking in front of me. I didn't want to look at Morgan; I didn't want to see any subtle sign of agreement.

"Bre, we're going to find him. You know just as well as I do this isn't the first set back we've ever had. Let's you and me go to the new scene and see what we can find. This was the first house break in we know of, maybe he made a mistake somewhere."

Still chewing on my cheek I looked at him. his eyebrows were raised and his lips pressed to a line - he was waiting on my reply. I nodded and walked around to the passenger side of the SUV. I tried to ignore the sour feeling that was trying to form in the pit of my stomach. Maybe Morgan was right, maybe Colin made a mistake; maybe he left the rest of his plans written on a piece of paper and taped it to the refrigerator.

* * *

When I had seen the house on tv it was panic ridden, people standing near by behind the barricades watching the police and paramedics do their jobs - now it looked like the house was just abandoned to begin with only with police tape lining the property. The door, wide open before, was now closed with a paper taped on the front warning that this was a crime scene and any trespassers would be arrested. Morgan slid the key into the lock and opened the door. I closed it behind me and we crossed through the entryway and into the living room.

The living room floor was a pastel brown color, the focal point of the room was a fire place - a fake one that wasn't meant for actual fires, but was there for pure decoration, two couches and a chair boxed around it. The people who lived here had put an effort into their home to let people know who they were, it felt like a shame to see that it ended with us.

"Uhm...not to point out the obvious, but this is new." From the corner of my eye I saw Morgan gesture towards the wall he had worked his way over to.

I raised an eyebrow out of curiosity and turned to him. Looking at the wall, I found it hard to believe that we didn't notice this right away - though this wall didn't face the door. My eyes widen to the sight - the wall had words stained in red, what I could only assume to be blood and read 'Yield for Nothing'.

"I know this." I declared looking it over.

"You know this?" Morgan asked as his phone rang.

"Yeah, I just can't place from where."

"Maybe it'll come to you," Morgan answered his phone; I continued to stare at the chaos written on the white wall, but nothing came to me. Somewhere though, in the the back of my mind, I knew this from somewhere. Morgan sighed, "Alright, thanks." He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" I asked still staring at the wall.

"It was about the bodies you found in the basement yesterday..."

* * *

_**-I have a new technique for writing that really get's through the writer's block. So hopefully I'll be posting more often.  
-The only thing that would stop me from posting more often would be my Mom's health. At the moment she is being tested for cervical cancer. We don't know if she does have it officially yet or not, we're still waiting, but if it come back that she does, updates may take a bit longer than they already do. But then again I may need something to focus on, so the updating more often thing still may be a possibility. I don't know, I'll just have to see what happens.  
-I would really appreciate it if you would leave a review. Thanks for reading. :)**_


	30. Chapter 30

I groaned as I rubbed my temples, new information of the case was coming in all different forms of disturbing. Morgan had just received the call that the autopsy reports of the bodies I had found in the basement of Colin's house had came in with the DNA results matching twenty-one other people. The three bodies in the basement were made up of the remains of other people he had killed; each arm, leg, head, torso, and heart from a different person, none matching the ones in the meat packing company or the ones found around town. If I had been keeping track correctly we now had thirty-seven victims in total now, twenty-one of which were still missing - mostly.

"Maybe this was to tell us he's running." Morgan, who was seated next to me on the couch, stood and looked over the stain on the wall. He could be right; 'yield for nothing,' not stopping for anyone for any reason.

Colin could change his appearance, his name and jump the boarder to another country and he never had to stop. He could find new people to collect, a new combination of a person to build and he never had to stop. He's been able to do it so far without being physically caught - so what would stop him from being gone already? He had left this message, so he had already known we were looking for him before the news report - with him killing people left and right how could he not have known? He's had time, so what's keeping him here?

The makeshift bodies, the ones he had stitched together, were the only ones in his house. All the others had been taken else where and disposed of, but not those three. Were they his first or his favorite parts of those people - either way he had found them worth keeping and he wasn't finished with them.

"He's not running; he's still hunting," I kept my eyes glued to the floor; I had to think this through clearly as I was speaking, there wasn't any wiggle room on time, we couldn't be going off in the wrong direction, "the bodies from the basement weren't finished yet, throats were missing…but…he cut the throat of the woman who lived here. Why would he do that?" It was more of a question to myself, a habit I picked up from Spencer.

I got up from the couch and walked to a different room of the house. We had been so concerned with the writing on the wall and with the new information Morgan had gotten about the bodies that we had completely forgotten to look through the rest of the house. There had to be something else here. Morgan caught on and headed to a room other than the one I was in.

I wound up in a bedroom, a young woman lived in here. I wouldn't be able to place the style - I hadn't been concerned with genre rather than wearing what I liked - but love went into it. She took her time to make this place hers. It differed from the living room, brighter with more colors. Three windows looked out to the back yard, in place of window blinds she had hung fabric, each window with a different color (one yellow, one hot pink, and the last bright green), pulled to the side and held in place by a hook to let in light. It would be a mystery to me how anyone would've gotten any sleep in here, the colors chosen for this room seemed like a neon rainbow exploded in here. The walls were orange and the bed spread was purple.

I started looking through the dresser first, there was a desk but I would consider it to be a table really; it had no drawers, no place to hide anything suspicious. The dresser seemed to be just the same. I didn't find much but clothes and a drawer that was dedicated to nothing but art supplies with all the seals still in tact. There wasn't any pictures of original work hanging in her room, she wasn't an artist; maybe it was a gift for someone.

I checked in, under, around, behind, everything I could see and didn't find anything that would make this person a target for Colin. The last thing I needed to look through was a collage of pictures that was in the middle of the closet and the windows. She had been working on making this whole wall -maybe even the whole room- a big collage. She had just recently graduated high school; a picture of her in cap and gown standing with friends was near the middle. There had been pictures of larger groups she was in, concerts - choir and band. She considered that to be the most important time of her life so far - that changed last night.

There wasn't anything in her bedroom that would tell me anything about Colin. It hadn't even looked like he stepped in this room, let alone made some mistake in here. My phone alerted me of a new e-mail; standing in the doorway I checked my phone - Garcia. It was the files of the address Morgan and I were at. The house had two occupants Lindsey Watkins - whose room I had just checked based on her face matching the one in most of the pictures in the collage - and Audrey Chapel. Only one body was sitting in the morgue right now, Audrey, so where was Lindsey?

Morgan and I met back in the living area empty handed. There was no mistake left behind by Colin, just a message. We took a picture of the blood stained wall and sent to the rest of the team, maybe they could make something of it, and made our way back to the police station - Morgan forced me to promise I would keep my mouth shut about the media, lest Hotch have a reason to report me to the higher authority.

Now, sitting in our little area the chief had let us use, I wasn't given any real order since I had told off the chief, with the exception of Hotch telling me to talk a walk, so I was going over the victimology with Emily. We weren't finding much, there were barely anything tangible that these people had in common - aside from being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time; when I remembered the last time I spoke to Spencer while we were working, "Spencer," I called for his attention.

He looked up from his case file, "What?"

"What did you get from the mountains of books in Colin's house?" There had to be something useful from all of those books.

"Not much, most of them had been so marked up it was hard to even tell what he was correcting," Spencer looked down to the case file he was reading then back up to me, "but there was one page of a self-confidence building book he left mostly eligible. The page listed rules of life that can't be changed, the first one was _'You only get one body, no matter the size or shape - it is your's_.' He highlighted it and wrote in the outer margin, '_But what if you could have genetic perfection_-"

"Would you change who you are if you could?" I guessed finishing his sentence.

Spencer furrowed his brow and sat forward in his seat, "Yeah, how did you -"

"Isn't it a little early for you two to be finishing each other's sentences already?" Emily laughed at us.

I smiled and tried to pull my lips to a tight line, Spencer's face told me I failing miserably when he flushed red and looked anywhere but Emily and me. I smacked my lips and looked to Emily forcing a topic change and avoiding her question all together, "It's a lyric from a gothic rock opera, _Repo! The Genetic Opera_. My old friends and I were nearly obsessed with it in high school." I pulled a print of the wall from the latest victim's house and slid it in front of her, "That's where this is from too. It didn't hit me until now because I haven't thought about it in so long. He's looking to build the perfect person in his eyes."

Emily's jaw slightly fell to the crack in the case we just discovered. She pulled out her phone and made a call, "Hotch, we're going to need everyone down here. We may have found something."

* * *

I should have kept my mouth shut, I know how that sounds, but now I had to speak in front of the team and a majority of the police force. My team I could handle, but the police force who knew I made their chief feel a foot tall and had no intentions of apologizing for it - different story. They all looked at me, most with their arms crossed, other's already showing no intentions of listening. I swallowed hard and looked to Spencer, he smiled warmly and nodded his head once, giving me a small brain push.

I took a deep breath before speaking, "Colin is living in his own version of a fictional gothic rock opera set in a future where organ failures sweep over the world and surgery is the new fashion craze." Of all of the people in the room, I'm sure the only people who were actually listening were the ones who I've already told this too, my team stood in the back and watched as I continued, "He sees himself as a Repo Man, called to harvest the body parts and orga-," I slammed my fist down to the table when a group of the officers began to talk amongst themselves, every member of the police force jumped at the boom and snapped their heads in my direction, apparently I had less of their attention than I had thought, "If you want to catch Colin and have any sort of a chance of saving Lindsey and others I suggest you listen or it won't be as easy to hear when we have double the death toll we have now."

Some stayed still keeping their eyes on me, busted and to nervous to move, others adjusted themselves awkwardly, uncomfortable with what they had just heard knowing how they had acted when I was trying to give them what could be lifesaving information. I took a second and gave them all a chance to let that sink in - I looked to Hotch and Rossi, the last thing I needed was to be reported for this. Hotch nodded in approval and Rossi smiled and stood taller than what he had been. I imagined him thinking, _that's my girl._

I swallowed hard and regained my voice, "He killed Audrey Chapel to leave us the message 'yield for nothing'; a song from the opera meaning to stop at nothing to do what needs to be done. He still has Lindsey and we can only work as if she is still alive. He isn't finished yet - and I think I know what he's planning on doing."

* * *

Hotch and I hid, crouched down behind a row of desks waiting in the dark. It was well passed time for most of the officers to be here. But we were all hiding, with the exclusion of a few to keep up appearances, all keeping quiet in the dark, going along with the plan. I had a working idea that Colin was going to be making his way to the morgue, he wasn't going to do anything with out at least one of the bodies he had put together. He needed it to complete his work. The only thing I had no clue about was when he was planning on doing it.

"Embreonna," Hotch whispered.

I looked over to him slowly chewing the inside of my cheek, it didn't matter what was happening around us, when Hotch was on duty he was intimidating and it concerned me that he wanted to talk now, "Yes?"

"Nice job on briefing the locals. You being mad actually comes in handy when we need it to work for us." He smiled teasingly.

I let out a breath of a laugh, "Yeah? Well, a girls gotta get respected somehow - sometimes just demanding it works fine."

Our smiles quickly faded when we heard a door open, everyone had been ordered to not make any noise of any kind, this could be it. The door was slammed hard and muffled struggling was heard in it's place; a young lady being forced through the office area and to the medical examiner sector. Hotch looked over to me and signaled for me to follow him.

We stayed low and stayed at least the length of a hall behind as we followed behind the movement. We snuck behind the morgue doors as they swung closed and was met up with the rest of the team and officers ready to take Colin into custody. J.J slowly rose on her feet, enough to barely see through the window, she waved us in when she saw that Colin wasn't looking. I moved first, not letting the door swing to make any noise. I kept my eyes on the back of Colin's head as the door was lifted off of my hand.

I army crawled to where Lindsey was laying on the floor; we needed to get her out of here first. She was on her back, her hands and feet heavily tapped with electrical tape and her mouth gagged and covered with more tape. She moved her head and caught me crawling towards her, she did a double take her eyes getting wide; I paused and signaled for her to stay as calm and as quiet as she could with a single finger to my lips. She nodded telling me she understood.

I got as low to the floor as I could, checking to see where Colin was. He was fiddling with something on the other side of the room, his back still towards the operation. I reached Lindsey and gave her a look over, she seemed to be physically able to get out of here; reaching into my utility belt, I pulled out a switch blade cutting through the tape around her hands and feet before I passed her off to Hotch.

Music began to play in the morgue, a song from the opera. I put away my blade and slowly stood with my gun at the ready when he began to hum along to the music of the song. He grabbed the handle of one of the freezer and pulled it open, "It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it…" He sang as he pulled the slab out, "Peeling off the tissue inch by inch, skinin' off the muscle too…"

He spun around to find the team standing with guns all aimed on him, he looked to the ground, not finding Lindsey where he had left her. "Colin, you're under arrest." Hotch spoke over the music. Colin had stopped singing when he saw the line of guns pointed in his direction. "Slowly put your hands to your head."

He bit his lip, with his first plan now out of reach he looked around the room at the different ways he could try to get out of it, he didn't find any of them worth going for - he slowly slid his left hand behind his back, "Hands on your head!" Morgan shouted. It did nothing. Colin's muscles in his arm moved as if he gripped something. He whipped his arm out in front of himself, aiming at us. We had to keep the lights off in order to sneak in and get Lindsey; I couldn't tell what he was holding.

A fire was shot and Colin fell to the floor - a few moments passed before I allowed myself to relax, the lights flickered on and officers rushed over to Colin. I sighed and slid my gun back into its holster.

Thirty-eight.

* * *

These chapters seem to be getting longer, no?  
Which may or may not be a good thing...  
Because I think the next chapter is going to be the final one for this story.

ITS OKAY - Trust me. It'll be okay. You'll see.

Thank you to those who have reviewed, favorited and alerting! It means a lot that you've stuck with me through this story, considering I haven't been the best frequent updater in the world. That's about to change though. Especially for what's about to happen once this story is finished. A few things will happen.

1) I secret thing that will be announced in the final chapter of this story, but you can probably already guess what it is.  
2) My best friend and I are working on a Harr Potter fan fiction! Finally! That may be a bit before that is posted though. We still got a few things to talk about for it.  
3) Moffat is ruining my life...that has nothing to do with this...but as a Whovian and as a girl who has recently been Sherlocked...yeah...

I love you guys! Please leave a review? Only takes a few seconds and every single one makes me that much better at this writing and updating thing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	31. Chapter 31

We walked through the doors to the bull pin, eager to put our office things away and leave, "I don't know about everyone else," I walked to my desk and opened my top drawer, "but I'm ready for a nine hour nap." I said as I plopped file folders into the drawer. Those would need to be looked over and filed, but I could always come in early tomorrow and do it.

"I wouldn't get to cozy with that thought if I were you…" J.J said with a smile as her eyes shifted to the hallway and a brightly dressed blonde bombshell marched her way to me.

Garcia stood in front of me, taking her final step in her hot pink peep toe heels with a purpose, "Are we ready?" She carried her purse the straps hanging by the bend of her elbow.

"Ready for what?" I blinked and looked from Garcia to J.J. All I could think about was sleep; I wasn't prepared for guessing games.

"Girls night - you promised." Garcia answered. The tone in her voice was an indicator that I wasn't going to be getting out of this. Her glasses made her eyes more intense as she stared me down.

I didn't see any harm in trying though, "Does it have to be tonight? We just got back." I finished putting my things away and closed my desk drawer, "Maybe we could do a girls day tomorrow?" I slung the strap to my to-go bag over my shoulder.

"Tonight is the only night where we could all be there." Garcia replied not taking her eyes off of me.

"Tomorrow I start looking for another case…" J.J stood next to Garcia, "and _you_ will have to file reports."

"I-" I stammered and looked to Spencer hoping maybe he knew a way for me to get out of this, but it was useless as he shrugged his shoulders, giving me a face that read, _I don't know, I just work here._ "Ah," I sighed, "alright, could I at least get a shower first?" I asked.

Emily joined us as we walked towards the door. Garcia stopped for a moment and dug through her purse, pulling out a bottle of perfume. She sprayed it all around me and grabbed my wrist, twirling me around in a circle through it, "You're good." She stated as she put it back in her purse.

I laughed through a groan and looked back to Spencer. Morgan chuckled loudly and Spencer smiled encouragingly - or through amusement, the corners of his lips pulled tight, trying not to laugh - and waved as I was being pulled out the doors and into the parking garage. The four of us piled into J.J's car after putting our bags in the trunks of our own, "Alright, where are we heading to?" J.J asked.

"Well," We strapped our seatbelts around us, "there's the Chinese place on the walk." Emily suggested.

"That's fine with me." I put in my vote and put my hair back in a pony tail. It had been a long couple of days - I had forgotten completely about girls night - and was going to head home to get a quick shower before heading over to Spencer's and demanding entrance. The girls should be lucky I love them.

The drive itself was a quick one, we were there within minutes. The host welcomed us, the warm air hitting our faces and giving relief to our noses, and showed us to a table taking our orders - and that was the exact amount of time it took for the questions to start flying, "Are you and Reid a thing now?" That was the main one that they wanted answered. It almost felt like we were in high school, they leaned forward on the table all smiling ready for me to answer, like we were just out for lunch.

I sighed, something I felt like I was going to be doing quite a bit in this conversation, "Yes," I flinched and tried to get them to quiet down as they squealed and made other testaments of excitement, "whatever I can do to make this stop, please tell me." I smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry, Bre! We're just so happy for you guys!" Garcia's smile graced her face as she fixed one of her pink hair poofs that fell low when she squealed.

"That's great and all, but you guys can not act any differently when you see him." I sat back as the waiter brought a tray of food over to our table. He quickly sat our plates in front of us and left.

"Aw, come on, not even a little teasing? It's not every day I can make Reid speechless." Emily smiled reaching for her chop sticks.

I passed on the chops sticks, reaching for a fork, "No, I don't care who all actually knows. Until proven otherwise, Hotch doesn't - and even if he does - we're going to act like he doesn't and its going to be one big secret, okay?" I eyed them; I didn't want to have an awkward conversation with my boss if it could be avoided.

"Did you really just make Hotch our Ross Geller?" Garcia asked trying not to laugh.

J.J's face twisted in amusement, "Did you really just make that reference?"

Light laughter broke out between the four of us and we ate and discussed whatever had come to mind, with momentary pauses for questioning about Spencer. I was beginning to get passed tired, my body just function without direction from my brain and was starting to get a head ache from the red and gold color scheme of the restaurant, but I was glad to have been swept away for the night. It was easy to forget the light the breaks the darkness when working a case; all the different things we sometimes have no idea about - when we'll catch the un-sub, who the next target will be - was enough to make the light disappear.

Our waiter came by, picking up our bill and walking it to the cash register, "So when are you two getting married?" J.J asked with a grin breaking out across her face.

"Marriage?" I asked. This topic had suddenly taken a hard left, Spencer and I had just started dating.

"You know what they say, first comes _looove_…" Emily poked me lightly in the shoulder.

"Then comes _marriage…_" Garcia continued trying to hold in another squeal. She bit her tongue as she joined in on poking me.

I batted their hands away, "Okay! I think that's enough Spencer talk for the night," I laughed, stretching and letting out a yawn, "am I the only one ready for sleep?"

J.J checked her watch and sighed, "I can't believe I let time get away like that." She said as we all stood. It had only been two hours, but with our schedule time was precious.

* * *

I stood by my car digging through my bag, J.J just dropped us off back at the parking garage so we could get our cars to have a way to work in the morning, but I couldn't find my phone. I wasn't about to leave without it and I didn't take it out during diner; maybe I had accidentally put it in my desk.

I sighed and marched over to the elevator and pressed the button to call the elevator, it lit up and the machinery within began to move. While it made it's way to the ground floor I glanced over my shoulders every few seconds that passed, large empty spaces did that to me at times - all the security cameras in the world wouldn't be able to stop me from doing it.

When the doors parted I stepped inside and pressed the button for my desired floor. The doors closed and space around me jerked, sending the lift upward. I yawned loudly and leaned back against the wall, it lightly vibrated against my head. I closed me eyes, it was a strange form of relaxing, but I was willing to accept it. The elevator slowed suddenly before stopping completely, it dinged and I could hear the doors open.

I could barely open my eyes and had every intention of letting the doors close again without moving so much as a muscle, "Embreonna?"

My eyes shot open, what was he still doing here? I smiled and pushed myself off from the wall, "Spencer, shouldn't you be home? I know sleep doesn't come easily, but I'm sure you have better coffee." I fought the urge to grab his hand, instead I lightly brushing past him - appearances, appearances.

He stifled a chuckle and followed me to my desk, keeping a few steps behind me, "I have the best coffee. I was just on my way out, actually, decided to do my paperwork tonight."

I opened the drawer I had loaded up three hours earlier, my phone was on it's side caught between the side of the drawer and the files stacked inside. I smiled retrieving it and closing the drawer; I held it up trying to mentally tell him to not let me lose it. He nodded and I dropped it into the darkness of my bag, "Well," I started as we walked back to the elevator, "how does a night at the old Harlow place sound?" I asked.

A hint of a smile pulled at his lips. The low lighting the building had during the night made it impossible to miss the rings under Spencer's eyes. I imagined we looked like a pair of raccoons plotting our next trashcan capper, "You know, that sounds great."

We called for the elevator and took it back to the ground floor, the uncomfortable feeling that had me looking over my shoulders just minutes earlier had gone away or at the very least didn't appear to be a concern with Spencer by my side. My car was the only one on this side of the garage, I disabled the alarm as we neared it. "Did you eat anything?" I asked him.

We got into the car, Spencer closed his door and reached for his seatbelt as he replied, "No, I was going to in between files, but then I got focused and forgot to stop." I smiled, putting the key in the ignition and giving it a twist. The engine roared to life.

"I'm sure there is something I can cook up for you in my place." I thought aloud to myself. I put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking spot and out of the garage.

The seasons were beginning to change; I hadn't noticed before tonight, we were flying back and forth from place to place, spending any time we had out of the office trying to create a social life. I could see it now though, they way my breath hung in the air - it would soon be time for hot chocolate, oversized sweaters and the leaves would change color and fall. It was around this time that Spencer and I first met, it didn't surprise me that it was my favorite time of year.

"You don't have to." Spencer had spoke after a few streets of silence.

We sat at a red light, I looked over to him confused, "I don't have to what?" I looked to the road as the light changed to green. I pressed on the gas.

"Cook for me - you don't have to." He had lost his stutter when he spoke to me, he was more comfortable with everything I hope, but he wouldn't look at me.

"Why, aren't you hungry?" I turned into my neighborhood. Lights in the majority of the windows were out, everyone else already in bed or just now beginning to get ready for sleep.

"I am, I just don't want you to think you have to play part to any gender role because of our dating." He finally looked over to me as I pulled into my driveway.

I put the car in park and looked over at him, "Spencer, me cooking for you would be more because you're my guest in my home and less because of our dating. If you want - if it'll make you feel better, when we're at each other's places we can cook together." I turned back the key and the car fell to silence. I pulled the key out and held the bundle of keys and key chains.

I could barely make him out in the dark, but saw the outline of his smile, "That," He took a pause, mockingly thinking about it, "that could work."

I opened my door, "Let's go see what we can make a mess of." I got out of the car closing the door behind me and Spencer moved to do the same.

The car alarm chirped as it activated, the headlights flashing for a moment before settling back. Spencer stayed close as we climbed the few steps of my stoop; I unlocked the front door and let Spencer in, "Make yourself at home." I smiled and closed it behind him, making sure to lock both the key lock and the dead bolt. Turning on the lights I still felt the chill from outside, I decided to change into anything other than what I was wearing before we got started, "I'm going to change real quick, the bathroom is just there if you want to change too." I pointed to the bathroom at the end of the short hallway.

I dropped my bag in the corner of my bedroom, I'd have to change everything out later. I would normally do it now, but I had more important matters to attend to outside my bedroom door - maybe down the hall, I wasn't entirely sure where he was at the moment. I stripped out of my work clothes and pulled on a pair of grey sweats and a forest green jacket.

I walked back out to the living room - Spencer had changed and waiting for me there. His back was turned to me, his hands in his pockets as he glanced around the room; probably noting all the differences between here and the last place I lived; this was the first real chance he's had to do so.

"Do you also treat your home as a museum?" I walked up behind him snaking my arms around his torso and nuzzling my forehead into his back, eyes closed.

"It all looks different." He replied.

I raised my head and made an attempt to look at him over his shoulder. "Only the house is different, everything else is the same. I promise."

He smiled, turning his head to look at me over his shoulder and kissed me on the edge of my forehead, above the end of my eyebrow. My eyes closed and his stomach growled as he pulled back. I think it was the first time I've ever heard it that loudly before, "Food." Was all I said before grabbing his wrist and leading him into the kitchen.

"I hope this isn't something you picked up from Garcia." He joked. I released his wrist with a laugh and turned on the kitchen light and began looking through the cabinets.

After looking through everything I found I had everything for the making of spaghetti, "If you're willing to wait about an hour?" I asked holding up the noodles.

"An hour for spaghetti?" He took the box out of my hands looking at the directions on the side.

"Only if you want it done the 'right way'." I answered using air quotes. On one of our recent cases Rossi and I went out for lunch; when his food had come back he complained about how the noodles to his dish weren't cooked all the way and proceeded to tell me how to do it properly on the way back to the station. I made sure to tell him that he was lucky he had a relaxing voice or I wouldn't have been as willing to listen. He only laughed in reply.

"Sounds good to me." Spencer handed the box back to me, "Do you still cook to music?" He asked.

"Yeah, there's no other way. It's to quiet otherwise. The stereo in the corner over there," I nodded to the area of the floor as I pulled out a pot from one of the bottom cabinets, "if you wanna turn it on for me."

He nodded and walked over, crouching in front of the small music machine and switched it on. I was pouring water into the pot when Dean Martin began to pump from it's speakers.

"Perfect!" I called to Spencer as he walked back over to me - it was one of Rossi's rules of cooking - always have Deano as your guide. I turned off the tap and set the pot on the stove top. The burner burst with a small ring of flames and settled as I set it on the proper temperature, "This calls for more waiting than anything and it's already," I grabbed Spencer's wrist again checking his watch, "midnight." I sighed and leaned back against the counter.

"Well, we'll just have to pass the time then." Spencer gently took my hand in his and gave my arm a tug, pulling me away from the counter. I couldn't stop myself from smiling when he put his hands on my waist and pulled me in close to him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck filling any gap between us, "The doctor dances?" I asked looking up to him, sure he would know the reference. His eyes closed, his forehead pressed against mine; my eyes closed from the overwhelming feeling it gave me as we slowly moved in a circle to the music.

_How lucky could one guy be?_  
_I kissed her and she kissed me._  
_Like the fella once said_  
_"Ain't that a kick in the head?"_

We've slept in the same bed together most nights since we started dating, it didn't exceed anywhere past that, but something told me it would never make me feel as close to him as I do in this moment with him, right now. Does that make sense? Does it need to in order for it to be right?

Spencer was a man of science and based most of his opinions of life on cold hard facts. What facts would he need in order to come to the same conclusion that I had? Would it have to be biological? How fast his heart would beat when he saw me, when our hands touched, when we kissed? I felt close to him, but there was still so much I didn't know - things I needed to know.

_The room was completely black.  
I hugged her and she hugged back.  
Like a sailor said quote,  
"Ain't that a hole in a boat?"_

Would he be able to allow it to be something bigger, just once?

I could hear the water boiling behind me, I gave Spencer a peck on the lips before breaking away to put the noodles in. "Since it's already so late I'm just going to use sauce from a jar, but for the love of all that's good - don't tell Rossi. There's a small package of beef in the fridge if you want to get that started." I said.

Spencer nodded opening the fridge, "_My head keeps spinning. I go to sleep and I keep grinning_," he pulled out the beef while singing along with Dean, "_if this is just the beginning_," he made a small spin behind me stopping and setting his chin over my shoulder for a moment, "_my life is gunna be beautiful_." I smiled as he moved the skillet setting on the back burner to the front and began to cook the meat.

We finished cooking and I sat with him while he ate and struck up a conversation of the Doctor Who reference he wanted to let me know he didn't miss catching. When he finished eating I took his bowl and ran hot water in the sink to let all the dishes we had used to soak overnight - as I did this Spencer walked around me looking through every cabinet and drawer that was in the kitchen, "Looking for something?" I asked as he passed by me a second time.

"I'm just memorizing where everything _goes_." he stretched the last word in the way he does when he's also thinking while trying to talk to someone at the same time.

"Right," I said once everything was gathered into the sink, "I'm going to put away the leftovers and then I vote on trying to sleep."

Spencer pulled a plastic container from one of the lower cabinets and tossed it up to me before turning off the stereo, "Only if we can watch some Doctor Who first. I can't stop thinking about it now." He laughed and smiled widely.

I let out a small laugh, "I have netflix on my laptop, it's on my bed." I told him as I loaded the rest of the spaghetti into the container. I sealed the lid onto it and put it in the fridge; I could hear Spencer already in the bedroom loading up my laptop. It was going to be a long night, but the good kind.

* * *

I groaned, reaching out for my cell phone on the nightstand, I slapped my hand down on the table top a few times before my hand landed on my phone. I held it in front of my face, squinting at the light - it wasn't what was ringing. I tossed it to the foot of my bed. Netflix had stopped at the end of an episode of Classic Doctor Who, Spencer and I had fallen asleep, and Netflix was asking if we were still watching. He still laid asleep next to me, not giving so much of a stir to acknowledge the ringing.

I turned the corner of the covers down and sat up, my feet falling off the side of the bed. The house phone. The land line. I rubbed my eyes applying the lightest pressure with my finger tips and let my hands slide down my face in an attempt to keep my eyes open. Who would be calling now? I moved slowly out of the bed to not wake Spencer, of the two of us he needed sleep more than I did, and walked out to the living room.

It had to of been one of my team - wouldn't they call my cell? The only reason for the land line was in case they needed a second number for me, if my cell wasn't working or if I had lost it somewhere. _I don't remember giving my number out to anyone else._ I didn't care who it was as long as the ringing stopped.

I followed the blinking orange light through the dark living room, the light switch was in the opposite direction and the phone gave off just enough for me to find it. With the phone in hand I answered, "Hello?" I yawned. Not very polite, but neither were they, calling in the middle of the night…early in the morning? What time is it?

"Hello, sweetheart." My breath caught in my throat. I had only heard this voice in my nightmares for the past four years. What fresh hell was this? "Have you missed me?" I knew him enough to know it wasn't a rhetorical question - he wanted an answer.

My mouth had gone dry, I swallowed hard to no relief, there wasn't anything I could say.

"I know you're there. If you won't answer that, would you answer another for me? That doesn't count -" He chuckled to himself and after a moment he asked, "Does he treat you right?"

* * *

**_So that's it for this story.  
But there will be a sequel if anyone is interested.  
Thank you to those who have reviewed, you are awesome. Thanks for putting this story on your favorite and alret lists. ^.^ And even if you just read a chapter and wasn't interested, thanks for your time.  
If you're new to the party - reviews are still welcomed, especially since I'm currently writing the sequel. Let me know what I need to work on?  
Thanks again! I'll try and have the sequel up soon!_**


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